"The whole family comes together, including aunts and cousins, and pitch in to make a huge pookkalam . It takes us a couple of hours to create, so we get it ready the previous night," she says.For Iswarya Menon, the ideal Onam festivities comprise chilling out with cousins and relatives. "Rather than the hustle and bustle of festivities, we keep it casual and relaxed. And for me, that makes the celebration more special," says the actress. Even though the family likes to keep it "chill", some things are non-negotiable, she adds, "like making the pookkalam and preparing the sadhya ". "The whole family comes together, including aunts and cousins, and pitch in to make a huge pookkalam . It takes us a couple of hours to create, so we get it ready the previous night," she says.While her family usually spends Onam in Chennai, Iswarya says that whenever they can, they try to head home to Kochi and "be with the extended family". "Onam is the time for bonding with the family, and I so look forward to spending time with my closest cousins, Ananthakrishnan and Sarang, who are away for studies and will also come down," she shares.Thiruvonam day starts with getting ready, praying and a "a nice breakfast". "More relatives come down, so it's a time of catching up and bonding. The main part of the celebration is the sadhya , where we have the erissery , pulissery , manga curry, olan , kaalan and the whole works. I skip my breakfast and wait for the main game: the massive lunch, with lots of pappadam , washed down with palada payasam . It's mostly homemade, with my amma and aunts starting on the cooking early in the morning," she says, adding, "And then, we all settle down to watch a Malayalam movie, either in the theatre or at home. And chill, talk and unwind."'I adore that Chendamangalam hangs on to its old charm'Iswarya's hometown Chendamangalam is famed for its handloom legacy and the actress says her mother "shops at the local weavers, since we get authentic handlooms". "Also, Chendamangalam has a beautiful rustic, village atmosphere. The lanes, mossy walls and some houses make you feel like you've travelled back a couple of decades. And when it rains, I love that smell of fresh earth. We are slowly losing this charm and oldworld spaces in most places and I absolutely adore that Chendamangalam has remnants of it," she says.'I skip my breakfast and wait for the massive lunch, with lots of pappadam 'The main part of the celebration is the sadhya , where we have the erissery , pulissery , manga curry, olan , kaalan and the whole works. I skip my breakfast and wait for the main game : the massive lunch, with lots of pappadam , washed down with palada payasam.