Onam Celebrated With Joy After Two Years Of COVID
Update: 2022-09-08 23:01 IST
Onam Celebrated With Joy After Two Years Of COVID
Kerala celebrated Onam on Thursday with pomp and revelry after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions made it difficult to celebrate the previous two years. Onam festivities were dimmed in 2018 and 2019 as well by the state's disastrous floods in some areas.
People celebrated Thiruvonam, whose centrepiece is the scrumptious "sadhya" or feast, with their loved ones and friends this year instead of being restricted to their houses as they had been the previous two years. People celebrated Thiruvonam, whose centrepiece is the scrumptious "sadhya" or feast, with their loved ones and friends this year instead of being restricted to their houses as they had been the previous two years.
Families gave each other "onakkodi" (new outfits), homes were decorated with lovely flowery carpets called "pookkolam," which are famous in Kerala, and many different kinds of banana chips were made for the feast in homes all over the southern state.
Following the feast, which featured a variety of traditional vegetarian foods, pickles, and desserts served on banana leaves, individuals visited their family members and close friends and participated in large-scale family gatherings, which had not been possible for the previous two years. Additionally, there were demonstrations of traditional games and art forms that had been absent the previous two Onam celebrations.
The festival of Onam commemorates the asura king Mahabali's return, when everyone lived happily and equally.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his greetings on Onam to everyone, especially the people of Kerala and the Malayali community spread out across the world. Mother Nature's crucial role and the value of our diligent farmers are both reaffirmed by this festival. He wished that this Onam should strengthen society's sense of harmony as well.
Furthermore, all people received Onam wishes on Wednesday from President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who also wished for everyone's success. On Wednesday, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also sent their best wishes for Onam to Malayalis in Kerala and around the world.