Kerala expats gear up for Onam

Muscat: Expatriates from the South Indian state of Kerala, one of the largest Indian expatriate communities in Oman, are fully geared up to celebrate their harvest festival, Onam which falls on Tuesday.

Onam is celebrated in the Chingam month, which marks the beginning of the Malayalam calendar. Onam is celebrated to mark the homecoming of King Mahabali, during whose reign the state was said to have witnessed the golden era.

People from Kerala have flooded the stores to make last minute purchases for the festival which is celebrated by all members of the community irrespective of their religion.

From supermarkets and shopping centres, to restaurants and jewellery shops, hundreds of commercial outlets, mainly those catering to the Indian community, have come up with various Onam offers and plans.

“The shopping malls are all crowded as people are making their last minute Onam shopping and thronging the hypermarkets,” said Madhu B Nambiar, a long-time resident of Oman.

Janardhan, another expat from Kannur, working for the last 10 years in Muscat said, “During the Onam festival, people usually wear traditional kasavu sarees and mundu (dhoti). It is a time when family members and friends gather and exchange gifts like new dresses.”

“During Onam, unique food items are prepared at home and distributed to others. One of the highlights of the Onam celebrations is the preparation of Onasadya, a special vegetarian feast,” he further added.

The 10-day Onam celebrations in Kerala started with the Atham celebrations on August 20. It is a festival that honours King Mahabali and Vamana. People of Kerala welcome the king in a symbolic way by arranging flower carpets and with traditional dances and games so as to give him the impression that they are happy as in his time.

Floral carpets are made by women dressed in traditional saris. They assemble and sing a well-known song in honour of the occasion.