Bhubaneswar, Sept. 10: Onam celebrations by the Malayali community here is not very different from the way it is celebrated in Kerala. More than 500 people came together to share the elaborate feast Onasadya hosted by the Kerala Kala Samiti today.

The celebrations start within a fortnight of the month Chingam and goes on for 10 days. The last day, called Thiruvonam, is considered the most important day when a feast is hosted.

The vegetarian spread of 28 items served on a plantain leaf was prepared by chefs from Kerala. Sambhar, kalan made from beans and curd, pachidhi, toran, avial, olan, pulangi, butter-milk, rasam, payasam were some of the delicacies served at the feast. Odia people also joined the festivities.

Malayali women were seen in the traditional kasavu (a hand-woven cream sari with a golden border, worn by women in Kerala), while men sported kasavu mundu (a handloom fabric worn as a formal attire by men in Kerala).

Onam is celebrated in three parts. The first part is Onachanda, the market for onam special condiments arranged all the way from Kerala for the members of Malayali community. Onachanda was held on September 3.

Onachanda is followed by Onasadya, which was celebrated today by the members of the Malayali community in the city. Onasadya was held at Gujarati Bhawan at Chandrasekharpur. People were seen posing for pictures around the pookalam, an elaborate floral decoration.

This apart, Malayali women and men turned up at Rabindra Mandap for an evening of dance, music and merry-making.

'The event is an opportunity for the community members to showcase their talents and to celebrate the traditional art forms of Kerala,' N. Radhakrishnan, secretary of Kerala Kala Samiti.

'We invite friends from other communities every year to share the happiness of the festival. It is a wonderful opportunity for hundreds of Malayali students, who are studying at various institutes of Odisha,' he added.

To bring the Malayali families closer, a few members of the community established the Kerala Kala Samiti in 1966. At present, it has more than 500 members in Bhubaneswar and over 3,000 families across the state.

The third and final part of the celebrations will be a cultural event at Rabindra Mandap on October 1, in which members of the samiti will take part.