THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  Onam - Thiruvonam - is the biggest annual festival of Kerala, the God's own country,  and is celebrated throughout the state, cutting across class, caste and religious barriers.

After nearly four years of being confined indoors due to two consecutive floods in Kerala in 2018 and 2019, as well as the subsequent two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, things are different this time around as Onam, the state's traditional harvest festival, is being observed by the state's 3.3 million residents throughout the length and breadth of the state.

Onam is typically a 10-day celebration, but this year, the three most important days were Wednesday, Thiru Onam on Thursday, and Avittam on Friday. The main event on Thiru Onam and other days is the 26-course vegetarian food that is served on a banana leaf and is done in every home, regardless of caste, creed, or financial standing.
The Thiru Onam supper used to be made in almost every household, but these days, major and small-time caterers, not to mention hotels, make a mint because prices for an Onam lunch on Thursday range from Rs 300 to Rs 2,000, especially at star hotels.

The 26 dish mouth-watering lunch includes chips,  pappads, various vegetable curries, a good number of sweet and sour pickles, the traditional aviyal, sambar, and dal served with a small amount of ghee, rasam, two different kinds of buttermilk, a chutney powder made from grated coconut, and several payasams that can be consumed either alone or combined with ripe small plantains.

Beautiful floral carpets (Pookkalam) are displayed to adorn homes, traditional activities and art are practised everywhere, and residences are cleaned and decorated. Every home serves extravagant, lavish feasts (Onasadya), which are followed by mouthwatering payasam (a traditional Kerala dessert), ensuring that the message of unity and hope is disseminated widely.

Nearly 20,000 people will be fed the customary "Onam sadhya" at the well-known Thrikakara Vamanamurthy temple in Ernakulam on this day. State Industries Minister P. Rajeev and Congress Lok Sabha members Hibi Eden and Benny Behanan inaugurated it at 10:45 a.m.

Interestingly, the sole distinction in the typical lunch is that, unlike the central and southern regions, the northern districts of the state do not provide any non-vegetarian dishes.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described Onam as an enduring symbol of optimism, resilience and resurgence which has an added meaning this time since humanity is recovering from disruptions caused by the COVID-19.

Onam 2022: PM Modi extends Onam greetings

Onam 2022: significance, history, rituals of Onam festival

Kerala announces Onam bonanza for employees, pensioners