Oman celebrated Onam, a festival of India, especially of the South with traditional floral decorations on the floor, elaborate feast and people wearing the authentic golden threaded sarees and dhotis.
Whereas many families celebrated Onam with their close relatives with traditional floral carpet and delicious meals, others gathered in hotels where they rejoiced memories of a bygone era as the history has it.
Hotels and restaurants were abuzz with people visiting for take away 'sadya', as the extended meal on a banana leaf platter is called, from forenoon till evening and were arranged on a prebooking basis.
However, a special attention to following strict COVID-19 rules and regulations was witnessed in all the hotels we visited as warnings of strict actions against the offenders of Covid rules was circulated days before. Even children were seen adhering to the regulations and wore masks.
Onam, coined as the 'Harvest Festival of Kerala' is a day of memories in abundance and most of them are connected to childhood days. As the myth aptly indicates an era of sweet memories, people rejoice those days of their childhood they spent in their villages.
"Thiruvonam, which is on the tenth day of the Malayalam month 'Chingam' and is a combination of myths, folklore and traditions and one of the great occasions where Malayalis rejoice together and reaffirm the values of harmony and coexistence," Piya Pawani, a model and actress said.
What makes the Onam celebrations even more the merrier is the fact that citizens with their families joined their expat fraternity in celebrating the feast festival at the hotels.
"I know the mythical story behind Onam and we enjoy joining hands with our Hindu brothers who celebrate the harvest festival. We joined them for feast at the Foodlands and enjoyed clicking photos near the floral carpet," said Dr Qais al Hooti, from Quryat who was seen with family at the venue.
"The sadya with some 12 side dishes was fantastic. Actually, Onam is a cultural convergence of minds," he added.
A number of associations and under the umbrella of Indian Social Club and other NGOs are organising festivities and cultural celebrations which culminate in the delicious 'Onam Sadya', a treat of a vast range of side dishes, predominantly made of vegetables, which accompany traditional rice on a plantain leaf.
The most notable one is the 'Universal Humanity Floral Decor' organised by the Kerala Travel and Tourism department that aimed at unifying the people from the state residing across the globe.
"Anyone, whether individually or as a group or as an organisation, can participate in the festival organised in association with the World Kerala Sabha," PM Jabir, Director, Norka Welfare Board told the Observer.
One can register their expression of interest on https://www.keralatourism.org/contest/pookkalam2021 till August 23.
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