India Blog

Kerala is fast becoming one of the premier travel destinations within India. This south Indian state boasts beautiful resorts and beaches, and a vibrant cultural life that is becoming known and appreciated not only throughout the rest of the country, but in the rest of the world as well.

If you visit Kerala in April, you may be able to witness or take part in the lovely Vishu festival. This colorful celebration marks New Year’s for the people of south India. Although it has special significance for devotees of the Hindu religion, much of the celebration is geared toward secular enjoyments and therefore can be appreciated by people of any (or no) religious background.

Our guest author here explains Kerala’s Vishu Festival in more depth.

Vishu, Festival of Kerala, South India
By Lakshmi Menon

Vishu is the New Year Day of the Keralites all over the world. When the sun crosses the equator it is the Astronomical New Year Day for the people of Kerala, and it happens on the first day of Malayalam month Medam. This day is celebrated as New Year Day in Kerala. The Festival is called Vishu, and usually it falls on April 14th. The traditional people of Kerala practice a lot of colorful rituals and customs on this auspicious day.

It is believed that at the dawn of the auspicious day of Vishu, one should see the Vishukkani, set in a circular metal vessel called Uruli. Malayalis believe that the fortunes for the year depend on the kind of the objects one sees first in the morning of Vishu Day. The Vishukkani is arranged with the auspicious items such as cereals, coconut, gold ornament, new cloth, betel leaves, arecanut, fruits, vegetables like cucumber, mangoes, and jackfruit, along with the flowers of Konna tree (cassia fistula). Behind the uruli, a mirror and the garlanded deity of Lord Krishna are also kept. A metal lamp called Nilavilakku is lighted near it.

The lady of the house keeps the Vishukkani ready in the previous night itself, so that when she opens her eyes in the early morning she sees these auspicious items first. This sight is calledKani kanal. Then she wakes up the master of the house, and the other elders if any, to see Vishukkani. The children are brought blind folded from their rooms to watch Vishukkani, and they are given small amount of cash on the Vishu Day, which is called Vishukaineetam. It is a belief that Vishukaineetam ensures prosperity for children. Vishukaineetam is also given to the workers wishing them prosperity.

Special pujas are held in temples such as Guruvayur, Ambalapuzha and Sabarimala where the people go to worship and pray for a prosperous New Year.

The male members and the children engage in bursting crackers to celebrate Vishu, the women folk start cooking a variety of vegetarian delicacies for the day’s lunch, called Sadya. Later, the whole family sits down to enjoy the Vishu lunch together. Evening is spent on visiting friends and relatives.

Apart from Keralites, people of some other states of India also celebrate their New Year Day on the same day.

Lakshmi Menon writes articles on various topics, including South India tourism. To know more about South India, please visit http://www.enchanting-south-india-vacations.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lakshmi_Menon
http://EzineArticles.com/?Vishu,-Festival-of-Kerala,-South-India&id=1059981

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