Chennai, Aug 26:
Chennai on Wednesday came alive with the festive spirit of Onam, as Malayalis across the city celebrated Thiruvonam with traditional fervour, colourful pookalams, new clothes, cultural programmes and elaborate sadya feasts.
Homes, apartment communities, offices, restaurants and cultural centres across the city joined the celebrations, creating a vibrant atmosphere of music, dance, traditional games and family gatherings. Markets also witnessed increased activity as people purchased flowers, traditional attire and other festive essentials.
At the Mahalingapuram Ayyappa Temple in Nungambakkam, devotees turned up in large numbers wearing new clothes and stood in long queues for darshan. Special abhishekam and aradhana were performed for the deity, followed by floral decorations and special Onam-themed decorations across the temple premises.
Restaurants and hotels in the city also reported a festive rush, with traditional Onam sadya served on banana leaves emerging as a major attraction. The elaborate vegetarian feast, featuring a variety of traditional Kerala dishes, brought families and friends together to celebrate the harvest festival.
Onam, celebrated over 10 days in Kerala, culminates in the auspicious Thiruvonam day. For the large Malayali community living in Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, the festival has become an important occasion to preserve and celebrate their cultural traditions while bringing together people from different communities.
Extending his Onam greetings, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wished Malayalis across the world prosperity, happiness and well-being. He said Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival, should fill homes and hearts with love and happiness, while bringing people together to share affection, celebrate joy and cherish unity.
The Chief Minister also wished that people’s lives would shine with the same beauty and colours as an Onam pookalam, and that the festival would bring health, prosperity and happiness to everyone.
With traditional celebrations blending seamlessly with Chennai’s cosmopolitan character, the city witnessed Onam not merely as a community festival but as a celebration of togetherness, cultural diversity and shared happiness.