As expats from the south Indian state of Kerala today celebrated Onam, an annual cultural festival, several people of various nationalities joined in the celebration at offices and homes alike.
This year, Saeed Ali Al Kaabi, the Emirati government relations director at a business management consultancy, joined in the festivities for the first time.
“It felt like being part of a family,” he said. “My colleagues shared the stories behind the festival with me, and the food was incredible. I’ve never seen so many different types of vegetarian curries before—it was a unique experience!”
Typically, Keralites dress in their finest traditional attire of kasavu mundus and sarees for Onam. They also make beautiful flower carpets called pookalam and enjoy a grand Onasadhya (Onam feast), which features over 20 different dishes. This Sunday marked Thiruvonam, the tenth day of the countdown to Onam.
Going all out to celebrate
Meanwhile, Irish expat Brenda Lawlor went all out to celebrate Onam at her office. “I wore a sari, enjoyed a feast served on a banana leaf, and even took part in a tug of war that really stirred up some friendly competition among the different departments in the office, : she said. “It was so much fun. This is one of the things I love about living in the UAE, getting to experience and learn about so many different cultures.”
Brenda mentioned that while her colleagues often celebrate Onam, this was the first time she joined in. “Last year, my colleague Sivan gave me a sari, which ended up sitting in my locker,” she recalled. “This year, I decided to wear it, and it meant a lot to them that I participated. All the Malayali colleagues arranged an Onasadhya for us and even explained each curry as we ate.”
She added that she sent all the photos she took to her family back in Ireland. “There’s a lot of overlap between Irish and Malayali cultures,” she said. “Both are very family-oriented and connected to the land. My family was thrilled to hear about the festival. Now, a small Irish village knows all about Onam.”
Family tradition
For Argentinian expat Maria Paz Jimenez, Onam became a part of her life when she married her Keralite husband four years ago. Since then, she has celebrated the festival every year with his family and has grown to love it.
She shared that Onam is typically celebrated at her husband’s cousin’s house, where they have a homemade Sadhya (feast) every year. “We all sit on the floor and eat from banana leaves with our hands. The first year was a new experience for me, but now I’m pretty skilled at it,” she said. “After eating, I often end up hosting the next round, so I’ve learned the exact order for serving the Sadhya. Each year, I also make an effort to learn more about the festival’s culture and history.”
This year, the most special part of Onam for Maria is celebrating it with her twins, Leo Surya and Aarya Luna. “This is their first Onam, so we made sure they had traditional clothes,” she said. “We tried to get them involved with the pookalam, but they were more interested in tearing the flowers apart. So we had to quickly find another activity for them.”