A relaxed guide to making your home feel festive for Onam - without turning the day into a project. Real suggestions from mothers and grandmothers to make the day yours too!
If you're thinking of having people over for Onam this year, here's our first suggestion:
Choose a heartfelt celebration, over an elaborate event...
You don't need detailed decor, a perfectly symmetrical pookalam or a Sadya with so many dishes that you spend the entire morning in the kitchen.
It's Onam. Have people over. Make the house feel festive. Set the vibes. Eat well. Take photographs. Sit around afterwards.
That's really the plan.
Start at the front door or entryway - simple but sets the tone immediately...
A small pookalam is probably the easiest way to make the house feel like Onam.
Buy a few flowers, separate the petals the previous evening and make something simple in the morning. If there are children at home, hand the job over to them. Handmade is all the rage now, so embrace the imperfections and enjoy the colours.
Add a lamp if that's something you traditionally do at home.
Done.
You don't need to decorate every corner of the house.
Dress Up - this effort is worth putting in...
Bring out the kasavu saree that's been waiting in the cupboard. Or a mundu, veshti, kurta - whatever feels festive to you.
If friends are coming, tell them you're dressing up and suggest a simple dress code - kasavu saree, mundu, veshti or anything festive they already have. The variety of personal choices is what makes any Indian festival eye-catching.
And take the group photograph before lunch. Trust us on this one.
Music always sets the atmosphere... every memorable scene needs a background score right?
This is such a small thing, but it changes the house immediately.
Make a playlist of Malayalam songs you love or add the ones you grew up with or ask your Keralite friends - or go for the ones that are popular (no one's judging, it's about having a chill, fun day). Put it on while you're getting ready and leave it playing when people arrive.
That's atmosphere taken care of.
Let everyone participate..
When people arrive and ask, "Can I help?", say yes.
Someone can finish the pookalam.
Someone can put out the banana leaves.
Someone can fill water glasses.
Someone can take photographs.
Children can make place cards or hand out little jasmine strings to everyone to wear as they please.
And one responsible person can guard the banana chips until lunch. This may be the hardest job of the day! Just saying!
Get the boring things out of the way as early as possible...
These are the things we'd actually check the night before:
Enough chairs?
Enough banana leaves?
Flowers bought?
Lamp, oil and wicks ready?
Serving bowls and spoons out?
Drinks in the fridge?
Phone charged for photographs?
A simple photo corner - just traditional mat, a lamp, some flowers, voila!
Containers for leftovers? It will be much easier to clean the kitchen later and your guests will appreciate it.
That's it.
Once those are sorted, the morning becomes much easier.
And then there's the lunch, the most anticipated part of the celebration...
We're not going to give you another enormous Sadya checklist here.
A festive meal can be 6 dishes or sixteen... the simplest version hot rice, ghee, curd, a gravy, a dry vegetable, chips, pickle, sweet. A more layered version can be built up from this, based on your comfort.
The one item we try not to miss is... some form of jackfruit (if you are lucky enough to have access). it can be fresh pieces of the fruit itself or the classic Chakka Varatti (jackfruit halwa) or the yummy Chakka payasam or jackfruit kheer.
In our first Onam article, we've put together Paati's recipes, ready mixes, and other Onam specials which can help you plan a Sadya that's as simple or as elaborate as you want. Read it here - Festive Onam Sadya at Home.
So choose your menu from there and then stop adding dishes. Seriously.
Our absolute favourite part comes after the Sadya...
Don't rush everyone out of the dining room so you can start cleaning.
Clear what you need to.
Make coffee.
Bring the chips back out.
Sit down.
Chat, let the food assimilate and enjoy the feeling of celebrating with the people who matter.
Years from now, nobody is going to remember whether you served six dishes or sixteen.
They'll remember the house full of people.
The flowers at the door.
Someone stealing banana chips before lunch.
The photograph where half the group wasn't looking at the camera.
And everyone still sitting around long after the Sadya was over.
That's a pretty good Onam.
Explore all of Paati's Onam recipes here with step-by step instructions.
Shop Girija Paati's Onam Specials like Puli Inji (Tamarind Ginger Pickle), Chakka Varatti (Jackfruit Halwa), ready-to-cook mixes and more.
Whichever you choose, remember the focus is on having fun, relaxing with family and friends and making amazing memories.
Onam Wishes from Girija Paati's home to yours.
