Vishu 2020: How Keralites celebrated the Malyali new year and harvest festival amid lockdown

People in Kerala are celebrating Vishu amid lockdown put in place due to coronavirus. Vishu marks the beginning of the New Year in the Malayalam calendar. Vishu 2020 is being celebrated today, 14 April. People usually visit temples on this day to seek blessings of god. However, this time around that didn’t seem possible owing to the lockdown. They wake up early, take a bath and wear new clothes. Devotees offer money, silver items and rice while praying to god. Various traditional vegetarian dishes, known as Sadhya, are cooked and usually served on a banana leaf in Kerala on Vishu. As per tradition, the eldest member of the family lights a lamp at dawn on this auspicious day. People wish each other on Vishu. Several celebrities and politicians have greeted people on Vishu 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on the occasion. “Happy Vishu to everyone! A new year brings new hope and new energy. May the coming year bring good health and well-being in everyone’s live,” he wrote.

Here’s Malayalam superstar Mohanlal wished people ob Vishu and urged them to stay home and practice social distancing to defeat COVID-19.

Actor and producer Nivin Pauly took to Twitter to wish his fans Happy Vishu. He asked them to stay home and stay safe.

Actress Malavika Mohanan shared last year’s memory of Vishu when she celebrated the festival with her whole family.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hoped that the festivals bring good health, harmony, and good will to all.