Kerala to have a colourless ‘Onam’ this year

This year, Malyalees around the world to have a colourless Onam festival, following the devastating floods that took around 400 lives. Over a million people are still in relief camps and at least 50,000 houses fully or partially damaged by the floods.

On the occasion of Onam, Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Chief Minister, urged the people to celebrate the festival by helping those who are suffering due to the ravaging floods, the worst disaster in the state’s history.

Considered the state’s harvest festival, ‘Onam’ falls in the beginning of Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar and is celebrated all over the world, wherever there are Malayalees.

Onam is celebrated with lots of special rituals and practices. People will wear new dresses, called ‘Onakkodi’ and decorate the courtyard of their houses with floral decoration – athappookkalam. The noon feast (Ona sadya) will be adorned with lots of dishes. There will be lots of traditional sports events like boat race, tug of war, tiger dance (puli kali) and more. However, in solidarity with the flood victims, most of the people are abstaining from all kinds of festivities.