Kerala’s vegetarian feast takes over kitchens in homes, restaurants, five star hotels as Malayalis celebrate Thiruvonam in UAE

Kerala’s vegetarian feast takes over kitchens in homes, restaurants, five star hotels as Malayalis celebrate Thiruvonam in UAE

Dubai: Kerala’s sadhya, the vegetarian feast spread on banana leaves, took over kitchens in homes, restaurants and five star hotels in the UAE as Malayali expats from the South Indian state celebrated Thiruvonam on Thursday.

Thiruvonam is the most important day of the 10-day long harvest festival Onam. It celebrates the mythological homecoming of King Mahabali or Maveli, whose rule marked the golden era of the state, according to Hindu beliefs.

Celebrated by Malayalis across the world irrespective of their religions, Thiruvonam falling on a working day this year meant most of the one million strong Keralites in the UAE savouring the sadhya, the highlight of the festival, made in eateries.

Home-made sadhya

Traditionally, sadhya consists of a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 30 items and it is customary to make the sadhya at home. However, only a few like the family of Dubai resident Maneesh G managed to do it on a working day. Maneesh and family celebrated Onam with his friend Thazhe Purayil Sajith, whose family is back home in Kerala.

“I could have had sadhya from any of the hundreds of restaurants offering it today. But, when Maneesh invited me for the home-made sadhya, I couldn’t resist it,” Sajith, a