Kochi:
Even as the 10-day long Onam celebrations near its grand finale on 16th, colleges and schools across Kerala have been celebrating this harvest festival with all its splendor.
Onam, a harvest festival which is celebrated in the month of Chingam, the first month in Malyalam calendar, also marks the beginning of a new year.
This festive season witnesses students across Kerala put their best foot forward to highlight their rich cultural heritage through song, dance and dress. 19-year-old Jasmine wearing her traditional attire as part of a procession by Mar Baselios college says this is perhaps one of the most exciting days during the year for her.
For Malayali students who've lived away from Kerala, it is an opportunity to reconnect with their roots. Preethi, in her white saree with golden border and jasmine flowers in her hair, admits that since she lived in Abu Dhabi all her life, this is her first Onam celebrations in Kerala. "I just cannot tell you how exciting this celebration has been", she says.
The legend goes that this festival welcomes the yearly visit of King Mahabali to his land, during whose reign Kerala had witnessed its golden era. But for many youngsters like Yogitha, this is an occasion to re-live the stories of unity that her grandparents used to tell her. Dressed in traditional attire, Malayalis of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve.
Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of the various team sports organised around the festival.
The tug of war at the Mar baselios college in Thiruvananthapuram with students cheering their teams on top of their voices, the various designs made by fresh flower petals, the processions depicting the visit of King Mahabali and an atmosphere that soaked itself in the old Onam songs and the beats of the traditional drums, left the students revelling in the spirit of this festival.