Pookalam, payasam and a dash of nostalgia — Onam in the UAE

Onam is just around the corner, and I miss the vibe. More precisely, I miss the pookalams — those vibrant floral carpets laid out at the front doors of homes and the lobbies of buildings. In Kerala, they’re everywhere. In the UAE, pookalams tend to show up only on weekends, usually as part of a community celebration.

And those celebrations? They go on long after Onam is over — stretching all the way into December, just before the Christmas lights take over. That’s Onam in the UAE for you: a long celebration that adapts itself to the rhythm of life here.

For those unfamiliar, Onam is a 10-day harvest festival celebrated in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It marks the mythical return of King Mahabali, a beloved ruler said to visit his people once a year. The festivities culminate on Thiru Onam (Thiruvonam), the grandest day of the festival, with the Onasadya — a spectacular vegetarian feast served on banana leaves — taking centre stage.

This year, Thiru Onam falls on a Friday, which is already a public holiday in the UAE. That means no juggling Zoom meetings while daydreaming of parippu, pappadam, and a drizzle of ghee. For once, Malayalis across the Emirates will be slurping payasam off their palms from the comfort of their homes. A rare luxury!

Shopping for Onam

Last Saturday, my wife and I kicked off our celebrations with the usual ritual: Onam shopping. Every supermarket we stepped into was buzzing —aisles packed with shoppers ticking off the same checklist. It felt like a little slice of Kerala had temporarily taken over Lulu and Carrefour. There were banana chips, jasmine flowers, fresh plantains, and an unmistakable excitement in the air.

Of course, Onakodi — the new clothes we wear for Onam — had to be part of the haul. But I wasn’t impressed. Saris, jubas, and skirts in the classic cream and gold palette were all there, but many were ruined by garish, overdone designs. I’m okay with a bit of glitter. After all, golden thread is practically part of the tradition but this felt like a fashion crime.

Why do they have to overdo it? The simplicity is what makes Onam wear elegant. This was just too much.

Thankfully, I still have my cream kurta and mundu from previous years. They’ll do just fine.

We managed to pick up most of the vegetables, though we left out the bananas and banana leaves. Those are best bought the day before. We stocked up on jaggery, condensed milk, ghee, cashews, raisins — all the essentials for payasam. The puja items too. Yes, we remembered the whole coconut.

The flowers? Not yet. Too early. Besides, the prices have skyrocketed. This year, I might have to settle for a small bunch.

But my wife’s biggest concern? The raw mangoes. They can be deceptive. Even if they look perfectly green on the outside, they may have already started ripening inside. And that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Without that sharp, tangy bite, avial just doesn’t taste the same.

Changing rhythms of Onam

Also sweet mango pickle isn’t really a pickle at all. We’ll find out soon. And if the mangoes disappoint, there’s always the backup plan — readymade pickle jars.

Onam might look a little different here in Dubai. The rhythms have changed, the timelines stretched. But the spirit? That remains intact. In every home trying to recreate the aromas of a Kerala kitchen, in every child learning to lay flowers in a perfect ring, and in every shared laugh over payasam — Onam lives on.

And I, for one, can’t wait.