Monthly Archives: September 2016

These floral designs are essential to the celebration of Onam. It is also traditional for men to wear a cream colored mundu with a gold border and a kurta. They found one for Bobby with velcro and a pocket!   Woman usually also wear cream colored clothing with golden border or accents.

The annual holiday of Onam is celebrated by Malayalam-speaking people around the world. It is a harvest festival, but also celebrates the story of a king named Maveli, who was so beloved by his people that the gods became jealous and killed him. Before he died, Vishnu granted him one request, to be able to come back to Kerala once a year. Onam is the occasion of his annual return to visit his people.

Since next week is Onam and most people are off work, Bobby’s company held their festivities today. They kindly invited the boys and I to join them. We had a great time playing games and eating a traditional meal on a banana leaf with our hands! On the way home, Max asked when we could have Onam again and was disappointed to find out that happens only once per year.

I’m trying to use some of the new features of this site to not take up so much room while showing you the pictures. Each picture has a caption that should show up if you click on it or scroll over it. Also I believe the pictures are supposed to enlarge if you click on them.

I could not believe they got everyone crammed into the entrance to start off the celebrations.

Bobby lighting the lantern sitting next to the symbols of the harvest and prosperity: rice, jaggery, bananas, and coconuts (those tall white things are from the coconut trees).

We found King Maveli (really Hari). He was very kind.

Max actually was having a good time. I don’t know why he is throwing faces in all the photos.

Minute to win it: stacking cups.

They found a place for everyone to sit outside!

Another game. Using only your mouth and a straw, move as many chickpeas from on blow to another.

Lunchtime! They did find a couple of spoons for the boys, but they tried to use their hands.

Traditional banana leaf meal. All veg. Nothing was too spicy for us other than the pickles.

Some of Bobby’s beautiful co-workers waiting to add the yummy Keralan rice to their plates.

Gabe and Max pretending to be monks in their traditional outfits. Max says he feels like he is in Avatar: The Last Airbender now.