Onam is a festival of joy and perpetual hope. It is that time of the year when family and friends get together to cherish the love and happiness among them. Onam is a festival that is celebrated without the barriers of caste, creed and religion. As the history goes, Onam is celebrated to commemorate the visit of the Asura King, Mahabali, son of Prahlada, after being pushed down to the world of Paadalam by Vamanan. Mahabali was the king of Kerala and was the epitome of all the virtues as a ruler, People come together and celebrate to mark the revisit of Mahabali, who comes to visit his subjects and the citizens of his kingdom once every year. The celebrations for Onam start ten days before Thiruvonam, starting from Atham and ending on Thiruvonam. It is on Thiruvonam day people celebrate the festival with a grandeur.
CETAA Chennai is one of the few associations which celebrate the festival every year. A get together is always conducted as a part of the Onam celebrations. The committee members manage to find time in between their busy schedules to coordinate the meet up. CETAA Chennai is celebrating Onam like a family every year since 2011. A sense of togetherness and oneness can be visible in them especially during the Onam get together as they always keep up the essence of Onam all through the year.
