People visit Pazhavangadi Ganpathi temple in Thiruvananthapuram to offer prayers on Onam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the occasion of Onam, people here visited the Pazhavangadi Ganpathi temple and the Padmanabhaswamy temple to offer prayers on Sunday.

Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala which falls in the Malayalam month of  ‘Chingam’. It is a ten-day-long festival and the main festival is ‘Thiruvonam’. On Thiruvonam day, people wear new cloths and go to the temple for worship. People exchange new clothes and sweets with relatives and friends. People also engage in various games and make floral carpets (Pookkalam) in front of their homes for ten days.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: People visit the Pazhavangadi Ganapathi temple and Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple to offer prayers on the occassion of Onam. pic.twitter.com/KY9lGJJVPF

— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2024

Every year the government organises Onam celebrations, but this year there is no official Onam celebrations due to Wayanad landslide. Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan extended greetings to people on the eve of Thiruvonam as he stressed the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in Wayanad following the landslides on July 30.

“This time, Onam is coming in the background of landslides in Mundakai and Chooralmala. We are now engaged in a major effort to rebuild homes, reclaim livelihoods, and make the region economically and socially dynamic. Therefore, let us be full of compassion for our brothers and sisters who have survived this calamity during this celebration”, CM Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister also urged everyone to donate generously towards the relief fund for Wayanad’s rehabilitation. “May the concept of Onam, which teaches that ‘all human beings are equal’, be an inspiration to uphold the unity of human minds that transcends discrimination! Donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and participate in the reconstruction of disaster-affected areas. So we can make our Onam celebrations meaningful”, Vijayan said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his heartfelt wishes to people on Onam. Taking to platform X, the PM wrote, “Happy Onam to all. May there be peace, prosperity and well-being everywhere. Celebrating the great culture of Kerala, this festival is celebrated with enthusiasm by the Malayalee community all over the world”.

On September 14, in Ernakulam, as part of the ongoing Onam celebrations, the Thrikkakara Temple in Kerala’s Ernakulam hosted the ‘Uthrada Sadya’, a grand traditional feast for around 20,000 people.The temple hosted Uthrada Pooram as part of the Uthradam day, the ninth day of the Onam festival.

The 10-day Onam festival concludes with Thiruvonam, which is on September 15 this year. Onam is celebrated with high fervour all over Kerala. (ANI)