A New Zealand family is celebrating Onam by keeping alive the colour, food and traditions of Kerala's harvest festival, joining thousands of others who have marked the occasion across the country in recent weeks.
Onam, observed over 10 days in the southern Indian state of Kerala, typically falls between mid-August and mid-September.
In addition to its role as a harvest festival, Onam also honours the supposed return from the netherworld of Kerala's beloved mythical king, Mahabali.
Onam celebrations in Kerala typically foster a deep sense of community and belonging among its residents.
Irrespective of religious or cultural background, people take part in the festival by crafting flower rangolis, known as pookkalam, in front of their homes.
"It's rooted in our blood," says Sreekanth Vidyadharan. "It's a festival everyone celebrates in Kerala."
Vidyadharan moved to New Zealand in 2004 as a student at the University of Auckland and now lives in Hillsborough with his wife, Dhanya Sreekanth, and their three children.
"When I came here, I had no intention to live in New Zealand," he says. "All I wanted was to watch a cricket match at Eden Park, do a bungee jump in Queenstown and go back."
Sreekanth Vidyadharan (second from right) with Dhanya Sreekanth (second from left), Jagan (middle) and twins Darshan and Devan at their Auckland home. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
He has now lived in the country's largest city for more than 20 years, currently working for Auckland Transport.
"Here and back home, Onam is celebrated by everyone, so it's not actually a religious festival," says Sreekanth, who works as a scientist at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
She says the festival holds deep meaning for her family.
"Everyone celebrates it together," she says. "Friends and family, despite their differences, come together."
The couple celebrates with their children - 13-year-old Jagan and nine-year-old twins Darshan and Devan - emphasising the role community organisations play in keeping traditions alive.
"I think organisations like Auckland Malayali Samajam and Hindu Samajam teach kids our traditions and bring snippets of Onam like the pulikali (tiger dance), thiruvathira dance, pookalam and Mahabali," she says.
At home, the family observes traditions such as onathappan, floral carpets (pookalam) and the elaborate vegetarian feast known as sadhya.
"Every year at home we have Onam traditions and obviously ... sadhya, which is the best part that my kids love with lots of food and payasam," she says.
"We try our best to keep the culture alive and pass it on to the next generation."
Onathappan, also known as Thrikkakara Appan, is a pyramid-shaped clay or wooden structure symbolising Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, or King Mahabali.
It is placed on a floral carpet to welcome the spirit of King Mahabali during Onam.
Pookalams are floral carpets created by Malayali households to welcome King Mahabali. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Both Vidyadharan and Sreekanth are committed to keeping their culture alive in New Zealand.
Vidyadharan has taken up the chenda, a traditional percussion instrument, while Sreekanth founded a dance school in 2017.
"I started learning chenda melam because my son was learning it and now we have a small group," he says.
"We had our arangetram (graduation performance) 18 months ago."
Sreekanth has been dancing since she was five.
"I came to New Zealand in 2010 and continued with solo performances," she says.
"After having my twins, I took a break but then thought of starting something for my wellbeing," she says.
"It developed into something for the community and in 2017 we opened Tapasya School of Dance."
For the couple, Onam is all about community.
"The best bit is getting together with friends," Sreekanth says. "There are a lot of celebrations happening around town, so it's more like a month of festivities."
She says her family also has its own traditions.
"My parents actually send us onapudavas (Onam clothes) every year and it's something the whole family looks forward to," she says.
"We don't know what is coming, so it's always exciting and the kids love it. They're getting used to that tradition of ours."
Vidyadharan says the scale of Onam events in Auckland has grown over the years.
"When I first went to one of those celebrations, it was probably like 200 people but now it's more than 500 families," he says.
A live concert was organised by the Auckland Malayali Samajam for community members in Auckland. Photo: Supplied
Celebrations across New Zealand
In Auckland, more than 1000 people gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre on 24 August for Onam celebrations hosted by Auckland Malayali Samajam.
"We started with a special sadhya followed by a traditional fashion show, cultural programmes and a formal event in the afternoon," says the group's president, Robin Babu.
"Our special event was a concert by Rimi Tomy, a playback singer from Kerala, for the community."
Tomy performed in Auckland as well as in Hamilton, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch.
In Wellington, the Malayali community celebrated Onam on 7 September at the Indian Association Hall in Kilbirnie.
The event followed the Wellington Malayalee Association's Dhwani 2025 youth festival in July, which featured more than 400 participants.
A total of 108 performers came together for the mega thiruvathira performance in Rotorua. Photo: Supplied
Rotorua's celebrations, organised by the United Rotorua Malayalees, included an attempt to set a New Zealand record for the largest thiruvathira dance, with 108 performers at Western Heights High School on 30 August.
The performance has since been officially recognised by the World Wide Book of Records.
In Nelson, Onam was celebrated across three days, with sports events earlier in August and two days of festivities on 29-30 August at Hope Community Church organised by the Nelson Malayalee Association.
The Christchurch Kerala Association marked the occasion on 30 August at Lincoln Event Centre with cultural programmes, sadhya and a live concert.
