Onam 2025 in UAE: Double joy for Indian expats from Kerala as Thiruvonam falls on public holiday

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: It’s double joy for Indian expats from Kerala as the Onam festival, the annual harvest jamboree of the south Indian state, falls on a public holiday ahead of the weekend in the UAE this time.

Thiruvonam, which marks the culmination of the 10-day Onam festival, falls on Friday, September 5, coinciding with the Prophet’s Birthday public holiday, giving residents a long weekend.

Members of the vast and vibrant Malayali expat community, who celebrate the Onam festival irrespective of their caste and religion despite its Hindu roots, are gearing up to celebrate the day in traditional fervour and flavour. The harvest festival commemorates the annual homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali and is marked by feasts, floral designs, dances and cultural festivities.

For Kishor Babu, a long-term Dubai resident, this Onam will be special as he will be marking it with his two children’s families. “Usually, it is difficult to celebrate Thiruvonam on the same day when it falls on a working day. The public holiday, which is coming ahead of the weekend, is a big blessing this time,” said Kishor, who works as an engineering manager at a prominent hotel chain in Dubai.

“My daughter’s family including my three-year-old grandson will be coming over from Abu Dhabi and my son and daughter-in-law will be joining us from Dubai South,” said Kishor, who lives in Al Quoz.

Families like Kishor’s will be marking the festival with ethnic attires, traditional vegetarian feast known as Onasadhya and pookkalam, the floral decorations unique to the festival.

Meanwhile, some family friends and several office colleagues have already celebrated Onam ahead of the main day because of the upcoming holiday.

“Since Thiruvonam is on a public holiday, most people will be celebrating it with families at home. So, we family friends decided to get together the weekend before that and had a great celebration. Thanks to that, we also have nice Onam pictures and videos to post on social media before the actual day of Thiruvonam,” said Sandhya EK, head of marketing at a pharmaceutical company.

She said four families including seven children, who are neighbours in a gated community, celebrated without missing the traditional elements of the festival, except for Maveli or Mahabali, the mythical king whose homecoming is celebrated as Onam.

However, in Abu Dhabi, a group of children celebrated Onam with a unique Maveli this time. This Maveli was neither someone who dressed up as Mahabali nor a cut-out. It was a cake shaped as Maveli made by Abu Dhabi resident Sruthi Sreedhar.

 “I have also made Onam-themed cakes in the shapes of sarees and shirts with designs of lotus flower and traditional dance forms Kathakali and Theyyam,” she said.

Meanwhile, several companies with Malayali employees also organised Onam celebrations ahead of the public holiday.

Blue Ocean Corporation, an Indian-owned multinational conglomerate, hosted a grand celebration in which employees of 18 nationalities took part in their own ethnic attires, offering a truly global vibe to Onam in Dubai.

“In many ways, Onam reflects the UAE’s community spirit and socio-cultural cohesion across its demographic tapestry. Over the years, Onam in the UAE has grown beyond the niche of an annual celebration of Keralites, and has been embraced by many nationalities, even beyond the Indian diaspora. It gives us immense pride in bringing our employees of 18 nationalities onto a single platform of bonhomie for this Onam,” said Dr Sathya Menon, Group CEO of the company.

"The inclusion of so many traditions from around the world made me feel that my own culture was also celebrated, and that sense of belonging is unforgettable," said Adel Kenani from Egypt.

Relishing the sweetness of payasam, Manal Taha from Lebanon said: “Every time we celebrate Onam with colleagues, it feels just as vibrant and welcoming. The spirit of togetherness and the Onasadhya always make it an occasion to cherish.”

Some Indian schools in the UAE also marked the festival by allowing students to wear ethnic attire, make pookkalam and have sadhya.

From kindergarten to grade 12, several students, especially those from Kerala, dressed in traditional Kerala skirts and blouses, sarees, and mundus, bringing the spirit of Onam alive in their classrooms.