Malayali community gears up for Onam as Dubai adds a local twist to traditions, with festive produce flown in and contests lined up.
Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Onam celebrations are getting under way across the UAE, with Malayali expats from Kerala preparing for a festival that will span an extra day this year.
Homes, community groups, shops and public venues across the UAE are gearing up for the annual celebration of Kerala’s harvest festival.
The change in the festival’s duration is linked to the Malayalam calendar, which uses nakshatras, or lunar mansion stars, to determine important dates.
Traditionally, the main Onam countdown covers 10 star days, beginning with Atham and culminating in Thiruvonam, the festival’s most important day.
However, Thiruvonam falls on the 11th calendar day of the Atham-to-Thiruvonam sequence this year because the Vishakham star spans two calendar dates, August 19 and 20. As a result, Thiruvonam will be observed on August 26, rather than on the 10th calendar day, as Atham fell on August 16 this year.
“The last time this happened was in 2017, if I remember correctly,” said Rajalakshmi P, a Dubai-based housewife.
Onam and its significance in the UAE
Onam is Kerala’s major harvest festival and is associated with the legendary homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali. According to tradition, Mahabali’s reign was remembered as a golden era of prosperity and equality, and Onam marks his annual return to Kerala.
The festival is celebrated with floral decorations known as pookkalams, elaborate vegetarian sadhyas, cultural performances, traditional games and gatherings with family and friends.
For the UAE’s large Malayali community, many of these traditions have become an integral part of the country’s broader cultural calendar.
The UAE is home to around 4.5 million Indians, with more than one million estimated to be from Kerala, making Onam one of the most widely celebrated regional festivals among the Indian expatriate community.
Wearing UAE landmarks with pride
Malayali households across the UAE are busy preparing for Onam, with families shopping for traditional Kerala attire such as shirts paired with mundu, the traditional garment worn around the waist, and set sarees, the white-and-gold festive attire worn by women, ahead of Thiruvonam.
“Everyone in my friends’ group tries to coordinate our outfits for every celebration, and Onam is no exception. But I couldn’t get my blouse for my set saree stitched because most tailors were already fully booked. I finally found a shop in Karama that agreed to take my order last night,” said Thara Thankachan, a business operations manager in Dubai.
This year, some Malayali retailers selling traditional attire have added a UAE touch to their collections, introducing designs featuring iconic landmarks from across the country.
“We are very happy to see this trend emerging at a time when we are expressing our love and loyalty to the UAE,” said Akshay Uthaman, a Dubai-based RJ.
He said he and his wife, Aksa Jose, had purchased Kerala outfits featuring Dubai landmarks, including the Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future.
“We find it a perfect blend of our love for our motherland and our second home. It gives us an opportunity to literally wear our hearts on our sleeves,” he added.
Food items for sadhya flown in
Onam preparations are visible not only in homes and community organisations but also across public spaces and the supply chains supporting the festival.
Fresh vegetables, coconuts, banana leaves and other ingredients traditionally used for the Onam sadhya are being flown in from Kerala to meet seasonal demand across the GCC, despite ongoing regional tensions.
More than 2,500 tonnes of fresh produce and Onam-related food essentials are being transported from Kerala to Gulf markets by air as part of special supply arrangements by LuLu Group alone.
The first chartered flight from Kochi to Abu Dhabi carried around 50 tonnes of produce on Tuesday, while another 60-tonne shipment is scheduled for August 20. Additional consignments are also being transported on regular passenger flights to other Gulf countries, the company said on Tuesday.
Contests at malls, hypermarkets
Onam celebrations are increasingly visible across Dubai’s public spaces, with malls and other venues hosting cultural programmes and festive activities.
Several malls and hypermarkets are also setting up special marketplaces offering traditional clothing, handicrafts, food and other festive items.
At BurJuman, for example, celebrations running through August 29 include a pookkalam competition, with Dh18,000 in prizes and gifts for participating teams on August 22, along with cultural performances on select weekends.
Traditional Kerala art forms, including Thiruvathira and Mohiniyattam, along with the vibrant Chendamelam percussion ensemble, will feature in the scheduled programme.
Stars to attend events
These events highlight how Onam has evolved beyond homes and community halls to become part of the UAE’s broader multicultural landscape.
For the expat community, the festive season does not necessarily end with Thiruvonam.
In the UAE, Onam celebrations often begin well before the festival and continue for several weeks afterwards, with community organisations, families and groups hosting events across successive weekends.
Several community groups have announced major Onam programmes featuring celebrities from Kerala, particularly stars from the Malayalam film industry.
Mollywood’s ‘mega star’ Mammootty and ‘evergreen star’ Kunchacko Boban are scheduled to attend separate community events titled Rajakeeyam and Onamamangam, respectively, at Sharjah Expo Centre during the first two weekends of September.
