Manmohan Singh greets nation on Onam

New Delhi, Sep 11: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday, Sep 11 greeted the nation on the occasion of Onam. In his message, Dr Singh said that 'Onam', the festival of Harvest, signifies the importance of love, unity and brotherhood.

"May this festival usher in all round prosperity, peace and harmony, he added. Onam, a harvest festival, is celebrated in Kerala when young girls and women make flower patterns called 'Pookalam' in local parlance to welcome the mythical King Mahabali. Onam recalls the story of mythical demon king Mahabali who created a kingdom in what is now Kerala. The festival falls during the month of Chingam (August-September as per the Gregorian calendar), the first month of the Malayalam calendar and lasts for ten days. Traditionally celebrated as a harvest festival, mythologically it is linked to Malayalee-Hindu folktales.

ANI