These children are taking the trouble to make such an elaborate and beautiful flower carpet or Pookkalam to welcome a special guest! He is the mythological king, Mahabali, who it is believed, visits Kerala every Onam. Onam is celebrated to commemorate the rule of Mahabali, the ideal king, who it is believed ruled Kerala long back. So despite the fact that no king really comes to visit his subjects, these carpets are made every year - one for every ten days of the festival. Not all the carpets are this ornate though. Most houses will have ones that are far less imposing in their courtyards. But then the good-hearted Mahabali wouldn't worry about the size, for him it would be the thought that would count!