Fermanagh’s Indian community celebrates Onam

MEMBERS of the Fermanagh Indian Association gathered at the Model School in Enniskillen on Saturday to honour the traditional Onam Festival.
Mainly celebrated in the south of India in the state of Kerala, Onam is an annual Hindu and harvest cultural festival, with the date of the celebration falling between August and September.
“Unlike our Christmas and Easter celebrations, Onam is a traditional and authentic Indian festival that we celebrate in Kerala,” Fermanagh Indian Association vice-president, Sree Biju, explained. “It’s culturally very important to us.
“It lasts for ten days and the most important day is the 10th day, so that is what we are celebrating and replicating here today.”
Those attending enjoyed a host of colourful activities that included art, dancing and a traditional Indian feast.
One of the festival’s most important aspects is the making and laying down of a ‘pookkalam’.
These are made out of gathered blossoms with several varieties of flowers of differing tints pinched up into little pieces to design and decorate patterns on the floor, like a flower mat.
“This is one of the festival’s most central rituals – the making of a floral pookkalam, which is a flower rangoli or flower carpet,” Ms Biju said.
“We also celebrate with traditional dances and everyone dresses up in traditional South Indian attire. There are games played that are connected to Onam too.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the Indian community taking part are from Fermanagh. Our Fermanagh Indian Association has 390 members and 240 are attending this event today.”
The Onamsadya (feast) is another indispensable part of Onam, and almost every Keralite either makes food for it or attends one. The Onasadya reflects the spirit of the season and is traditionally made up of meals with seasonal vegetables such as yam, cucumber, ash gourd and so on.
“This is the main highlight of the celebration and is known as the ‘Onam Feast’,” Ms Biju explained.
“There are 23 different dishes that are here today, so there will be something for everyone.”
In Indian mythical folklore, Onam commemorates the return of the generous daitya king Mahabali after he was banished to the netherworld by Vamana, an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
And to give the celebration in Enniskillen some added authenticity, an association member dressed up as Mahabali to bring even more colour and excitment to the big occasion.