Pon Onam

 By Andavan Kathir

The students of the Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai celebrated "AARPO 23" yesterday, in a glorious fashion 

Onam is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated by all Keralites, irrespective of religion. It is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. The celebrations mark the Malayalam New Year, are spread over ten days, and conclude with Thiruvonam.

The floral Rangoli, known as Onapookkalam, Athapookkalam or just Pookkalam, is made out of the gathered blossoms with several varieties of flowers of differing tints pinched up into little pieces to design and decorate patterns on the floor.

The Onam sadya (feast) is another indispensable part of Onam. Onasadya reflects the spirit of the season and is traditionally made with seasonal vegetables such as yam, cucumber, ash gourd and so on. The feast is served on plantain leaves and consists of nine courses, but may include over two dozen dishes.

The importance of the feast to Kerala's Onam celebration culture is captured in the famous Malayalam proverb "Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam" which means "One must have the Onam lunch even by selling one's property, if need be.