Fun and fervour mark Vishu in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: People across Kerala today celebrated Malayalam new year ‘Vishu’ with traditional fervor and offered prayers at nearby temples, looking ahead to a season of prosperity and harmony. [caption id=“attachment_276067” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Crowds gathered at the famed Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Sree Padmanabha Swamy temples since early morning. Photo: Vivekrajjanhanged/Flickr”]  [/caption] People woke up early in the morning to see the ‘Vishu Kani’, the ceremony of looking at auspicious articles like rice, gold coins, fruits and pulses and also the ‘konna’ flower, along with an idol of Lord Krishna. in Hindu homes, preparations for ‘Vishukani’ starts the night before with cleaning of ‘urali’ (a special vessel) and collecting fresh farm produces. The items that are placed include rice, grains, cucumber, pumpkin, coconut, plantains, mangoes and arecanut. These are arranged in the worship room that is decorated with konna flowers (cassia fistula). Temples across the state, including the famous Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayur and Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala witnessed heavy rush of devotees on the occasion. In central and north Kerala, bursting of crackers early in the morning formed part of the festival celebrations. As part of the tradition of Vishu Kaineetam, elders in each family gave away cash to younger members. The young and old come blindfold in front of the Vishukani that is placed in front of their favourite deity and see it as the day’s first sight. For the kids this is the day to swell their pocket money as it is a custom in the Hindu households to give a ‘vishukaineetam’ (a gift) to the younger ones in the family. The highlight of Vishu is a sumptuous feast with several dishes mostly made of seasonal vegetables and fruits like cucumber, plantain, mango and jackfruit and a sweet ‘payasam’.The traditional lunch is served on a plantain leaf. While in the southern districts a pure vegetarian lunch is served, in the northern parts emphasis is given to non-vegetarian items. Agencies