Friday, Sep 05, 2014

Abu Dhabi: For many expatriates from the South Indian state of Kerala, their widely celebrated harvest festival Onam is an occasion to share their culture and traditions with their friends from other communities.

“We invite our friends from other communities for Onam Sadya [Onam feast], which gives us a chance to talk about the unique features of this festival,” said Radhi Anil Kumar, a system analyst with an oil company in Abu Dhabi.

Onam is celebrated at the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar (Kollavarsham). Festivities commence around 10 days before Onam day, with the entrances to homes in Kerala adorned with Pookkalam (floral carpet).

This year, the festival starts on Saturday, which marks the first Onam. The most important day of Onam, the Thiru Onam, is on Sunday. Although the third Onam on Monday and fourth Onam on Tuesday are also important, expatriates are likely to celebrate with gusto at the weekend.

Many Keralites in the UAE started preparations as early as Thursday evening for the Onam Sadya, a sumptuous 26-dish feast served on a banana leaf. Since Thiru Onam this year falls on Sunday, a working day in the UAE, most Keralite families have made plans to gather for the feast on Friday or Saturday.

Kumar and her family plan to have the feast on Saturday. “We all join the preparations like cutting vegetables one day before,” said Kumar’s two sons Aswin Nair, 19, and Arjun Nair, 15.

The teenagers said they missed the opportunity to put out the traditional floral carpet. “It is difficult to make it inside the apartment.”

For those who cannot prepare the elaborate feast at home, almost all Indian restaurants are offering the Onam Sadya. Members of the community will also be joining in celebrations organised by various social organisations.

The Indian Social Centre (ISC), the largest Indian social organisation in Abu Dhabi, has been sending out invitations for its Onam feast on Friday, September 12. “We expect around 4,500 people to attend the feast, including ISC members and invited guests,” R. Vinod, secretary of ISC, said.

An Onam cultural programme will also be held at the ISC premises on September 19 at 7:30pm.

Small community organisations have already booked the reception halls in the premises of registered Indian community organisations in the capital for hosting Onam events, which may continue during the weekends in December as well.

By Binsal Abdul Kader Staff Reporter

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