MUSCAT : Onam fever has gripped Oman, with supermarkets witnessing a last-minute shopping rush, restaurants reporting strong demand for traditional Sadhya meals and families and community groups beginning their celebrations ahead of Thiruvonam on Wednesday.
Across Muscat and other parts of the Sultanate, the festive mood has been building for days as Kerala’s large expatriate community prepares to celebrate one of its most important festivals away from home.
Supermarkets have been bustling with shoppers looking for vegetables, fruits, banana leaves, flowers and other essentials needed to prepare the traditional Onam Sadhya. The rush is expected to intensify through Tuesday evening as families make their final purchases ahead of Wednesday’s celebrations.
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Restaurants serving Kerala cuisine are also preparing for one of their busiest periods of the year, with several Sadhya sittings already seeing heavy demand and bookings nearing capacity at popular outlets.
Some families, offices and community groups have already begun celebrating Onam early, gathering for Sadhya meals and cultural programmes in the days leading up to Thiruvonam.
The celebrations are expected to stretch well beyond Wednesday this year. With August 27 declared a public holiday in Oman, the festival coincides with an extended weekend, giving residents more time for family gatherings, community events and Onam feasts.
Restaurants across Muscat have rolled out special Sadhya menus to cater to the festive rush.
1947 Indian Restaurant and Ananthapuri are offering a traditional Kerala festive spread priced at RO 4 plus VAT for dine-in and RO 4.900 plus VAT for takeaway.
Woodlands is serving its Onam Sadhya from August 26 to 28, priced at RO 4.900 plus VAT for dine-in and RO 5.500 plus VAT for takeaway.
Foodlands Restaurant is offering a 30-item Sadhya at RO 4 plus VAT for dine-in and RO 4.200 plus VAT for takeaway, while Imperial Kitchen has priced its traditional Kerala-style Ona Sadhya at RO 3.900 plus VAT for dine-in at its banquet hall and RO 4.200 plus VAT for takeaway.
Malabar Days is offering its homestyle Onam feast at RO 4.900 plus VAT for dine-in and RO 5.200 plus VAT for takeaway.
For many Malayalis in Oman, Onam remains as much about coming together as the elaborate feast itself. From workplaces and residential communities to restaurants and family homes, celebrations are increasingly spread across several days to accommodate work schedules and larger gatherings.
With Thiruvonam just a day away and a long weekend immediately following, the festive rush is now at its peak, setting the stage for an extended celebration of food, tradition and community across Oman.
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