Kerala winds up Onam celebrations with cultural extravaganza

The official Onam celebration in Kerala culminated on Monday with a host of cultural events and performances in different parts of the state and a ceremonial procession in the capital city.

 Close to 3,000 performers, 150 art forms and 90 tableaux were on show at the cultural procession, an annual fixture marking the end of the festival season, in Thiruvananthapuram. Thousands lined up on both sides of the roads in the city’s central areas hours ahead of the procession that marked the end of week-long celebrations organised by the state government.

Governor P Sathasivam flagged off the procession in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and other state ministers.

In Thrissur town, the Onam celebrations culminated with the annual Pulikali (a performance by men masked and painted as tigers and leopards), a popular event that continues to attract thousands including international tourists. Eight teams with 51 members each took part in the event on Monday.

In the temple town of Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district, the Uthrattaathi boat race featuring 51 boats raised the pitch of celebrations. The final cultural performance organised as part of the official week-long celebration in Thiruvananthapuram was Naga — a play that featured Malayalam film actor Mukesh and his wife and dancer Methil Devika — staged at the Nishagandhi Auditorium here.