Some Onam Talk

Athapookalam

Two days back, a non-Mallu friend asked me what do we do for Onam. And I explained to her in the most simple yet best way possible - we wear new clothes, get together with family and friends and have a hearty meal! That said, there's so much more to it - the month long Onam celebration, a typical Onam day, what is it to be in a place that celebrates Onam in a grand style and lots of wonderful memories of Onam gone by!

Until I was around twelve years, we lived in a joint family comprising of my grandfather, grandmother, their two sons (my dad and his brother), their wives and us, grandchildren. Onam, for us, started with being gifted with Onakodis by family and extended family members, way before the celebrations started. Each of the four Onams were celebrated at various close family members' homes where the entire family got together, made Athappookalam and had fun and food in general. Thiruvonam was usually at our own house, along with Achan's closest friends and their family. The food was the same on all four days - Malayali's famous Sadya comprising of all the favourites consisting of chips, pappadam, pickles, kichadi, pachadi, olan, thoran, aviyal, kootu curry, parippu, sambhar, pulisseri, rasam, moru and atleast two types of payasam - yet, you can never get bored of the Sadya (atleast, I can't!). By the time lunch is over, you are too stuffed that the entire household is sure to dose off atleast for a few hours before normalcy returns! Oh, and I almost forgot about the unlimited TV time on all four days when you have back to back latest, super hit movies or interviews with super stars being showcased!

Onasadya!

In Trivandrum, where I come from, the entire city is illuminated at night for Onam and earlier, we even had an entire stretch which was open to pedestrians and closed to the traffic. The area was filled with various stalls, illumination of various kinds and you even had those giant wheels, carousel and other rides. Every year, without fail, we used to walk the entire stretch just to see the lights and soak in the festivities. We again went out in the late night by car to see the entire Trivandrum city in festive mode and all the lights and decorations that adorn the building. Trust me, if there is one place that you have to be at during Onam time, it has to be Trivandrum! For us, Onam ended with the procession organised by the State which would have floats from all the States as well as from the various public and private sectors. All the roads would be blocked and we would find our perfect spot to watch the procession pass by, something that we looked forward to days before itself. And as the last float pass by, our Onam celebration for the year would come to an end and we would eagerly wait for next year's Onam to celebrate it the exact same way.

As we grew, things changed. The State cut down on the celebration and so did all the families. Onam still is a month long celebration but it has changed from how it was before. While Onam, in most households, became just a one day celebration with Sadya on the Thiruvonam day, we still celebrate it in full galore with the Residents' Association Onam celebration, the various clubs having Onam celebration and friends planning a potluck Onasadya on a day convenient for all. The schools and colleges celebrate Onam in all its glory with everyone dressing up in the traditional Kerala Setum Mundu/Set Saree/Shirt and Mundu, organising athapoo competition, having one of your friends dresses up as Maveli, followed by cultural activities and ending with a Sadya. 

My this year's Onam was a mini family reunion with Amma's side cousins and their families

For us, Malayalis, if there is one festival that all of us look forward to, keeping aside all our differences, it has to be Onam. It is not just any other festival for us. It is a festival that the entire State indulge in. It is a festival that each and every household in Kerala celebrates irrespective of your caste and religion. The way you celebrate and the type of Sadya may vary depending on the place you are, but Onam brings out the true spirit of belonging - a sense of oneness. It's a celebration of togetherness, food and of course, new clothes! Nothing can change that. Things must have changed from the olden times, but Onam is still a celebration that we, Malayalis, celebrate in the best possible way that we can!