26 August 2026, Amritapuri – Onam celebrations
Amritapuri celebrated Onam with a variety of traditional festivities, including a grand pookkalam, Thiruvathira, music, dance and a Sanskrit drama based on the Mahabharata.
Amma was welcomed to the stage with a large pookkalam, dancing tigers and a traditional boat race. Brahmacharis and brahmacharinis blew conches all the way from Amma’s room to the stage.
Amma led everyone in Manasa Puja, a visualisation practice that she explained helps cultivate a heart of innocence.
“Make Onam with what you have”
Speaking on the occasion, Amma shared a well-known saying from Keralam: “Make Onam with what you have.”
Amma explained that the saying carries a message beyond the festival itself. Everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can find a way to celebrate.
“It is not about how much money we possess, how much wealth surrounds us, or how much material comforts we enjoy,” Amma said. “True happiness comes from having the right attitude and right perspective.”
Amma also recalled her childhood memories of celebrating Onam, when neighbours freely shared what they had. Food from the Onam feast and even jewellery for the dances were shared among them. Children played together on the pestle swing, took part in uriyadi and vadamvali, and sometimes slipped away to jump into the rain-swollen backwaters, despite the scolding that followed.
Amma said that this spirit of friendship and cooperation need not remain only a memory.
“If our vision is clear, we can light a lamp of hope even in the darkest circumstances. If we have a mind that finds joy in small things and a heart filled with gratitude, we can create our own Onam even in the midst of hardship and suffering,” she said.
Amma then sang two bhajans, including “Tattinantam Teytara.”
Thiruvathira and Onam sadhya
The Onam celebrations continued with a Thiruvathira, the traditional group dance of Keralam. More than 500 women, including monastics, married devotees and international visitors, took part in the dance.
Amma served the traditional Onam sadhya prasadam to everyone gathered. She also served the sadhya to Lakshmi, the Ashram elephant.
Sanskrit drama on the Mahabharata
At night, the brahmacharinies presented an elaborate musical theatre production based on the Mahabharata. The theme of the production was “Revival of Dharma.”
The drama was performed entirely in Sanskrit and featured more than 100 characters, with a large cast of performers and dancers from the Ashram.
The performance continued past 1 a.m. and was followed by one final bhajan from Amma, Meerabai’s “Man Mohana Kanha Binati Karu.” The gentle bhajan brought the day’s celebrations to a close.
Amma’s message throughout the celebration was that “Onam is a time when devotion to God and love for fellow human beings come together. Love, friendship, contentment, cooperation and faith can help us find happiness and create our own Onam even in difficult circumstances.”
