Night of Colourful Dance and Music

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam - About 700 guests gathered for music and colourful dance performances to celebrate the harvest festival, known as Onam in the South Indian state of Kerala.

Dr A Sundrapandi, president of the Bandar Seri Begawan Indian Association, said Onam has been celebrated in Brunei for many years, but the Indian community has sought to celebrate it in a bigger way in the last decade,

"Never does it fail to entertain, it is always better every year," he said.

The president also encouraged the audience to celebrate their own individual community and state festivities under the umbrella of the Indian association, saying that every Indian would celebrate together as one.

Onam is the largest festival in Kerala and it falls during the first month of the Malayalam calendar, which is Chingam.

It is an ancient harvest festival which marks the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali or Maveli, during which Kerala witnessed its golden era during his reign.

The festival lasts for 10 days and is linked to many elements of Kerala's culture and tradition.

The guests were greeted by the pookkalam (an intricate design made of fresh flowers) at the entrance to the hall at the International Convention Centre.

Present as chief guest was the Acting High Commissioner of India Rakesh Kumar who lit the ceremonial lamp.

The stage performances began with the thiruvathirakali dance where Malayalee women, dressed in their cream white saris performed, followed by a faster-paced classical dance, nattiyabrindam.

Guests were also treated to the onassadya, a meal of vegetarian dishes served on banana leaves. Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Source: http://brudirect.com
Photo: http://indonesia-spots.blogspot.com

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