It is said Onam should be experienced through its sadya. So how does one make the feast memorable? By serving it the right way. Elders say that it is important to serve well at a sadya. The skill lies in serving the dishes to those sitting to have the feast in the right order and at the right time. That is why it is said that learning to serve is as important as learning to eat at a feast.
It is said for a feast to be most effective, dishes with sattvic and rajasic qualities are to be served together while sweet dishes are served alternately. The first serving of sadya is set aside for Ganapathy and Mahabali once the sadya is ready and a lamp is lit in the south-west corner of the house called the kannimoola along with an incense stick. In some regions this is also said to be done in remembrance of ancestors. Family members sit down to eat only after this particular serving has been completed. It is also customary to place a pinch of salt and jaggery on the leaf. If served well, a sadya too becomes grand.
