Onam WhatsApp Templates
Onam WhatsApp templates serve Kerala's biggest festival: an Onam Ashamsakal greeting, Onam sale promos, sadhya pre-order messages, and Thiruvonam store hours. Onam drives a state-wide spending surge — from kasavu sarees to gold to the great sadhya feast — and almost no national platform ships ready-made Onam templates, leaving Kerala businesses to write their own.
Meta billing category
Templates on this page are typically approved as Marketing, billed at ~₹0.8631 per message (India).
Promotional — offers, launches, and re-engagement. Requires marketing opt-in, and an opt-out hint ("Reply STOP") is good etiquette that keeps your block rate and quality rating healthy.
Copy-ready templates
Replace the {{placeholders}} with your platform’s variables before submitting to Meta for approval.
1. Customer greeting
Onam Ashamsakal, {{name}}! 🌼 May King Mahabali's visit bring your home abundance, togetherness, and the joy of a grand sadhya. Wishing you and your family a golden Thiruvonam, Team {{store_name}} 🛶✨
Best for: Thiruvonam morning greeting, no selling.
2. Onam sale promo
🌼 Onam Offer at {{store_name}}! {{discount}}% off on {{offer_items}} through the Onam week ({{start_date}} – {{end_date}}). Onakkodi shopping made easy — order on WhatsApp, delivered across Kerala: {{shop_link}} Onam Ashamsakal! Reply STOP to opt out of offers.
Best for: Sale launch at Atham (the start of the 10-day festival).
3. Sadhya pre-order
🍛 Onam Sadhya pre-orders open at {{restaurant_name}}! {{sadhya_count}}-dish traditional sadhya on banana leaf — ₹{{sadhya_price}} per leaf. Family packs and office bulk orders available. Pre-book by {{order_deadline}} for Thiruvonam ({{onam_date}}): reply SADHYA or tap {{menu_link}} Reply STOP to opt out.
Best for: Restaurants and caterers — sadhya pre-orders sell out days early.
4. Thiruvonam store hours
Namaskaram {{name}}! {{store_name}} timings for Onam week: 🌼 {{uthradam_date}} (Uthradam): {{uthradam_hours}} — open late for last-minute shopping! 🌼 {{onam_date}} (Thiruvonam): {{onam_hours}} WhatsApp orders anytime: {{shop_link}}. Onam Ashamsakal! 🛶
Best for: Uthradam is Kerala's biggest shopping day — tell customers you are open.
5. Onakkodi / gifting push
🌼 Onakkodi for the whole family, {{name}}! Kasavu sarees, mundu, and kids' wear — our Onam collection starts at ₹{{starting_price}}, with free gift packing. Order by {{order_deadline}} for delivery before Thiruvonam: {{shop_link}} Reply STOP to opt out of offers.
Best for: Apparel and gifting in the first week of the festival.
What each variable means
These 17 placeholders appear in the templates above. Map each one to the matching field in your WhatsApp platform before you submit for approval.
| Variable | What to put in it |
|---|---|
{{name}} | The customer's first name. |
{{store_name}} | Your business name, exactly as it appears on your WhatsApp profile. |
{{discount}} | Discount value — a percentage or a flat rupee amount, matching the surrounding copy. |
{{offer_items}} | Replace with the offer items for this message. |
{{start_date}} | First day of the offer or window. |
{{end_date}} | Last day of the offer or window. |
{{shop_link}} | Link to your storefront or catalogue. |
{{restaurant_name}} | Your restaurant name. |
{{sadhya_count}} | Replace with the sadhya count for this message. |
{{sadhya_price}} | Replace with the sadhya price for this message. |
{{order_deadline}} | Last date to order for guaranteed festival or event delivery. |
{{onam_date}} | Replace with the onam date for this message. |
{{menu_link}} | Link to your hosted menu or catalogue. |
{{uthradam_date}} | Replace with the uthradam date for this message. |
{{uthradam_hours}} | Replace with the uthradam hours for this message. |
{{onam_hours}} | Replace with the onam hours for this message. |
{{starting_price}} | Lowest price in the range, for a "from ₹X" line. |
Frequently asked questions
When is the right time to start Onam promotions?
At Atham, the first of the ten festival days — Onam shopping (especially onakkodi, the new clothes tradition) spreads across the full ten days. Sadhya pre-orders should open even earlier and close 2–3 days before Thiruvonam because caterers hit capacity. Uthradam eve deserves its own "open late" message: it is Kerala's single biggest shopping day.
Should Onam messages be in Malayalam or English?
A Malayalam greeting line ("Onam Ashamsakal", "Ellavarkkum Hridayam Niranja Onashamsakal") with English or Manglish body copy is the sweet spot for most Kerala SMBs — warm, authentic, and readable for everyone. Meta approves templates in Malayalam, so fully Malayalam templates are also an option for older customer bases.
Related template sets
- Pongal WhatsApp TemplatesPongal WhatsApp templates cover Tamil Nadu's harvest festival across its four days: a Pongal Vazhthukkal greeting, Pongal sale promos, festive menu messages, and store-hours notices through Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal. Pongal kicks off the auspicious Tamil month of Thai — "Thai piranthal vazhi pirakkum" — making it a major buying window that generic template libraries completely skip.
- Diwali WhatsApp TemplatesDiwali WhatsApp templates cover the three messages every Indian business needs for the festive season: a warm greeting to customers, a Diwali sale promotion, and updated store hours. Diwali drives the single biggest spending wave of the Indian year, and a greeting sent on Dhanteras or Diwali morning — before the sale pitch — is what keeps customers reading your offers.
- Restaurant Menu WhatsApp TemplatesRestaurant menu messages share your daily menu, specials, and order link directly in the customer's WhatsApp — turning the chat into a zero-commission ordering channel. Restaurants using WhatsApp menus keep the 18–30% margin that aggregator apps take, and regulars reorder in two taps from the chat history.
- Festival Sale Announcement WhatsApp TemplatesA festival sale announcement broadcasts your festive offer — discount, dates, and a shop link — to opted-in customers ahead of the festival rush. In India, the Diwali-to-New-Year window drives 30–40% of annual retail revenue for many SMBs, and WhatsApp broadcasts are the highest-converting channel to announce it. Send early access to loyal customers first, then the wide broadcast.
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