International students and families who have migrated to the Kootenays from Kerala — the southern state of India — celebrated their regional festival in Castlegar last week.
The Onam festival is unique in that it is a state festival celebrated by all religions and castes in Kerala and is also celebrated all around the world wherever people from Kerala reside.
PREVIOUS: Festival of Onam celebrated in Castlegar
The celebration was first organized locally in 2016 by a group of Selkirk College students. It has grown from 50 participants in the first year to 160 this year.
PREVIOUS: Students bring a bit of India to Castlegar by celebrating the festival of Onam
The group celebrated with a traditional vegetarian lunch known as Onam Sadhya. Traditional dances and games were also part of the event.
The group created a Pookalam — an intricately designed flower mat — that is an integral part of the festival that commemorates the homecoming of King Mahabali.
More than $1,000 was raised at the event for the Community Harvest Food Bank.
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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