UAE glitters with Onam preparations

Dubai - Expats from the south Indian state of Kerala are gearing up for Onam, the harvest festival, which will be celebrated on Friday.

With the mercury levels soaring in the UAE, Onam shopping is reaching a feverish pitch as Kerala expatriates get busy in preparing for the grand feast on Friday.   
Back in the south Indian state of Kerala, the harvest festival is celebrated as an elaborate 10-day extravaganza. Even though most of the expats here are far from their families, they are making sure to infuse a slice of tradition into not just their own but other communities as well.  
Dubai's shopping hub Lulu hypermarket witnessed heavy rush of people buying vegetables, provisions, flowers and banana leaves.  
"We have put up Onam special decorations for our customers as they try to avail special prices on ingredients used in the preparation of Onasadya, the traditional vegetarian spread which is an integral part of the celebrations," said Shamsudheen Iqbal, Manager of Lulu hypermarket in Karama.  
Pramod, who was jostling through the crowd to pick up vegetables, said "Our family is back in Kerala and we really miss them during this festival. But we are going to celebrate the festival with friends."  
For some expatriates such as restaurant owner Saju Cherian, Onam is an occasion to share their culture and traditions with people from other communities as well.  
"We have two restaurants - one in Media city and the other in Deira, and we will be celebrating Onam with our customers," he added.  
Residents also headed to various clothing stores in the UAE to shop for festive clothes. Kalyan silk in Karama was decorated with flower works and manikins donning traditional set sarees.  
"Our daughter is the most excited and we are here to buy new clothes" said Viju as he picked up Onakkodi (new dresses for Onam) with his wife and daughter.  
As part of the celebrations, many hotels and restaurants have also chalked out plans to offer the sumptuous meal.  
"We will be offering a meal with more than 30 dishes. We have already got bookings for outdoor catering and parcels for Thiru Onam. " said Midhun, who works at Food Castle restaurant in Karama.  
Expats are also heading to various music and cultural programmes that are being organised in various parts of the UAE.
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