The spectacular carnival and the biggest festival of Kerala, Onam has a well defined tradition of gifts. Onam Gifts tradition helps to heighten the level of enthusiasm and raise the spirit of harmony amongst the traditional people of Kerala. Children are particularly excited on Onam as they receive lots of gift from their numerous uncles and aunts.
Greetings and Onam Gifts Tradition
In several households in Kerala, children are greeted Onam best wishes with a silver coin. New clothes and lots of other gifts are given to children and all other members of the family as a norm. For kids Onam is a time for wish fulfillment as uncles, aunts, grandparents, family friends and elder siblings are all too happy to pamper them on the joyous occasion of Onam.
Tradition of Gifts on Onam
In the conventional large joint families in Kerala called Tarawads where over hundred people reside in one big house, the eldest member of the family called Karanwar presents Onam Gifts to juniors and dependents of the family as a custom. New clothes are most commonly exchanged amongst the family members as a tradition to wish each other a Happy Onam.
Dependants of Tarawad present their farm produce or the product of their toil on the ninth day of Onam. They are greeted with a lavish meal of Onasadya on Thiruvonam day for the courtesy. Artisans in the village too visit Tarawads with their finest handwork and are suitably rewarded on the auspicious occasion of Onam.
Tradition of Sending Onam Gifts
As more and more people are moving out of their hometowns in pursuit of higher studies or for better jobs there has been an increase in the trend of sending Onam Gifts by courier. Online Onam Shopping sites are booming and many of them provide the provision to send Onam Gift with their own delivery service. This makes it convenient for the people to send Onam Gifts to their loved ones at desired places across the world.