Singapore launches first snake boat race to open month-long Onam celebrations

Singapore,UPDATED: Jul 20, 2026 18:02 IST

More than 400 people joined Singapore's first snake boat race on Sunday as the Indian-origin Malayalee community began a month-long Onam celebration. Organisers said the event was planned as an inclusive community programme, bringing together Malayalees, Singaporeans, migrant workers and residents from different ethnic backgrounds.

Onam, Kerala's biggest harvest festival, and Vallam Kali, the traditional snake boat race linked to it, are observed by Malayalee communities around the world through cultural programmes, feasts and community gatherings to preserve their heritage. In Singapore, the celebrations will continue till August 15 with a series of events aimed at keeping those traditions active and accessible to younger generations.

The event was organised by the 70-year-old Singapore Kairalee Kala Nilayam at Jurong Lake. It featured 11 teams with 10 rowers each, along with Chenda Melam, a percussion ensemble, and traditional music. Kairalee is among the oldest Malayalee cultural organisations overseas. The community's presence in Singapore goes back more than a century, with many migrants arriving from India during the British colonial period. Around 40,000 Malayalees live in Singapore.

Kairalee secretary A B S Manoj said the celebrations were designed to be inclusive, with Singaporeans, migrant workers and residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds taking part alongside the Malayalee community. "Rather than preserving culture as something from the past, we believe it should be a living experience," Manoj said, adding that the month-long programme aims to engage younger generations through interactive cultural activities.

Kairalee vice-president Rita Nanu said the organisation wanted children, youth and families to experience Kerala's traditions as "living cultural experiences" rather than memories of the past. "Our vision is to ensure that children, youth and families experience Kerala's traditions not only as memories from the past but as living cultural experiences they can participate in together," Nanu added. Kairalee president Rajith Mohan said the celebrations were meant to bring communities together through traditions that promote unity, friendship and cultural understanding.

The programme, which will culminate on India's Independence Day on August 15, includes Pookkalam, or floral carpet, displays, traditional music and dance performances, village games, cultural exhibitions and other activities to recreate the ambience of a traditional Kerala village during Onam. With the snake boat race opening the celebrations, the organisers said the month-long line-up is meant to keep Kerala's festival traditions alive through shared participation.

With PTI Inputs

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