How a pavadai is made in our Pulimoodu workroom
Cutting, lining, binding and checking: the eleven steps and three days behind every pattu pavadai we sell.
Dressing children for the ten days of Onam
From Atham to Thiruvonam: what children wear on each kind of Onam day, and how many sets you really need.
Onam stretches over ten days, and children are often dressed up on four or five of them. You do not need a new set for each. Most families we dress manage well with two good outfits and one everyday cotton piece.
School Onam celebrations usually fall a few days before Thiruvonam. These mean a pookalam on the floor, games, sometimes a tug of war and a sadya on banana leaves. Choose something washable: our yellow cotton kurta pyjama at ₹1,290 or a linen frock, which survive payasam spills and a run around the playground.
Thiruvonam itself is the day for the pattu pavadai or the kasavu shirt and mundu. The family photograph, the visit to the temple and the long lunch all happen on this day, so comfort for four or five hours matters more than anything. Dress the child an hour before you leave, not the night before.
The days after, when relatives visit or you go to see the Onam lights on the main road, a brocade kurta or a party frock works well. These are evening outings, cooler, and usually shorter. One practical tip: plan the sibling photograph for the morning of Thiruvonam, before lunch. Children are fresh, clothes are clean, and the light in most Kerala homes is soft until about 10 am. Order matching sets by 25 August so there is time for one fitting at home and an exchange if needed.
