We got an off yesterday for Onam. Surprising huh. Shouldn't really be coz our company is owned by a Malayalee. Onam is a festival exclusively celebrated by the Hindu Malayalees. The women wear lovely off-white saris with golden zari & go to the temple to offer prayers. Then they cook up an elaborate vegetarian lunch consisting of 27 varieties of dishes. The lunch is had on banana leaves, sitting on the floor. Their sitouts show off a beautiful flower decoration(pookalam it is called in Malayalam) and their gardens will have a swing made for the kids especially for the occasion.
We Christians may not believe in the ideologies of the festival like them but make an effort to participate. We also wear those "sette saris" & try to match their number of dishes(usually v give up after the 18th or 19th dish). We get the kids to eat on the floor & the adults will have theirs at the dining table. After the yummy payasam, a few of us drift off 2 sleep while the others sit together & watch a latest movie on "Asianet"(there are a few who try to watch 3 movies at the same time). There is lot of talking & laughing interuppted from time to time by people who burrrrp loudly(they blame it on the payasam usually).
See pictures above to get the feel of onam(by now u must have overdosed on onam, coutesy malayalam channels).
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From the past couple of years, we or rather my mom, has made a new addition to the typical Onam meal - it started with fried fish and then went on to include other non-veg items, basically to appease my non-veg-loving father......who am I kidding, my sis & I loved it too!!!
ReplyDeleteWill be in Kerala for Onam this year, for the very first time and hopefully should be able to blog about the experience :)
seriously?????? I have a friend...mind u a Hindu malayalee friend in whose housae they serve non-veg for onam:-O. Such a shock when I 1st hrd it.
ReplyDeleteLucky U, onam is Kerala is like 'Real'. Let me know how it went;-D
luks lik u sure do know a lot abt onam... i luv the way dey dress up... he hee`
ReplyDeleteanyway - chech... hindu mallus do eat non-veg... not al hindus r veggies... not tht u dono... i gues u do.. hwever, amnt sure if one shd/shd not eat non-veg during onam...
ps. u made me spk of food n nw am hungry... ;D
Yeah I too love watching the women dressing up...infact I like the way men do too on tht day and oh how cd I leave the kids out;-D
ReplyDeleteAnd hope u fed ur tummy well;-D