Though traditionally,Onam is celebrated for ten days in Kerala, for Covai, that has nearly 40 percent of Malayali population, the fanfare begins at least a month ahead!

The city marked the beginning of Onam 2015 with a floral rangoli competition (Athapookalam) organized by Brookefieds on Wednesday. Fifteen groups consisting of 2 to 4 participants, participated in the event, that is in its fifth year now.

For the first time in Coimbatore, the Malayalee Suhruth Sangham (MASS) will organize a six-day long mega exhibition at Meenakshi Hall, Nava India, Avinashi Road. The event showcases different traditional art forms of Kerala, along with special Kerala Sadhya (feast).

The Coimbatore Malayalee Samajam, one of the popular associations in the city with strong cultural background, organizes their Onam celebration on the day of Thiruvonam. This year, there will be cultural performances by the children of the schools run by the association.

Even as Onam falls on August 28, colleges in the city will also conduct competitions during the Onam week. With the proximity to the state, also known as God’s own country, Coimbatore always celebrates Onam just as grandly as Kerala does. One such event is the ‘Poo Market.’ Prices of the flowers touch the skies due to excessive demand this season. Flowers are brought from across the state to meet this demand.