Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday inaugurated the Kerala Tourism's Onam cultural festival in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The Chief minister performed the state-level inauguration of the cultural festival organized by the tourism department at Nishagandhi Auditorium in the state capital on Sunday .

Minister for General Education and Labour Shri V Sivankutty, in his welcome address, lauded the meticulous efforts of Department of Tourism in organising the annual festival on a large scale.

Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who presided over the function said, "Onam is a distinctive festival that honours and promotes the values of inclusivity and togetherness and befittingly the central theme of the event this year is Onam, the symphony of harmony."

The festival offers a big opportunity for hundreds of artists of diverse genres to perform before a wide audience, including tourists, he added.

The week-long Onam celebrations will set the stage for presenting before a wider audience a variety of classical, folk, ethnic and popular art forms in multiple venues in the state capital and districts across the state in the next seven days.

The festival has, over the years, become one of the most popular cultural events that enthralls both tourists visiting the Kerala during the season and the local communities as well.

In the capital district alone, programmes will be staged in as many as 30 venues.

Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker A.N Shamseer also inaugurated the 'Ponnonam 2023' Onam celebrations at the district town square in Kerala's Kannur.

Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly illuminated the evening in Kannur with his speech and emphasized that festivals like Onam should serve as a unifying force against communalism.

The 'Ponnonam 2023' was organized by the Kannur District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) on Sunday in the Kannur district.

The event included performances such as a the flash mob, aksharslokam, folk song, group dance, mega thiruvathira, and mohiniyattam.

The 10-day Onam celebrations in Kerala started with the Atham celebrations on August 20. It is a festival that honours King Mahabali and Vamana.

To welcome Mahabali, people start constructing floral carpets (Pookkalam) in front of their homes and institutions. Celebrations of many kinds begin today in schools, universities, offices, and other locations.
During the Onam festival, people usually wear traditional kasavu saris and mundu (dhoti). It is a time when family members and friends gather and exchange gifts like new dresses.

Unique food items are prepared at home and distributed to others on the festival. One of the highlights of the Onam celebrations is the preparation of Onasadya, a special vegetarian feast.

Onam is celebrated in the Chingam month, which marks the beginning of the Malayalam calendar and is a harvest celebration.