On the weekend of Aug. 26 I had the privilege of being invited to O-Nam.
To put it in a very short form, it is the new year for my Indian friends, Justin and Anto.
The celebration started with two elders lighting a candle of sorts. They asked me to be one of the elders -- I am only 55. I did not mind and it was fun to be brought in to it that way.
Then we moved to the a program with dancing and singing. Both adults and children performed. After the program, everyone went inside to eat where they placed a paper leaf on the table that represented a banana leaf and that would be our plate.
Then the men would start serving and would tell you if something was spicy or not. They would hand out utensils to the non-Indian guests but as per their customs, they ate with their fingers. The food was excellent and all vegetarian.
Then the men cleaned up the tables and would finally get to eat as well. It was nice to see the twist from what I normally see.
After everyone has had their fill it's game time. Unfortunately we were unable to stay for this. Maybe next year if we are invited we will have the time to spare and enjoy the festival to the fullest.
Happy Onam to all.
Daniel Fisher,
Mountain View County
