Vishu Festival
Vishu is the first day in the first Malayalam month of Medam (March – April) The traditional rituals followed in the festival is believed to usher in another year of prosperity for the Keralites. The Malayalees make elaborate preparations for this day to ensure that the year ahead will be a fruitful one by following the custom of seeing the Vishukani (auspicious sight) early in the morning. The people of kerala celebrate this festival in a traditional manner. They follow the custom of viewing the Vishukani( the lucky sight) in the morning of the festival. The vishukani is later taken and distributed among the poor people. The people buy new clothes (kodi vastram) for the occasion and the elders of the family distribute tokens of money to the children, servants and tenants. These tokens are called the vishukaineetam and are usually in form of coins. People carry on this custombelieving that in this way, their children will be blessed with prosperity in future.
The families then celebrate the day with joyous abandon by bursting fire crackers after the vishukani. While the men and the children engage in bursting crackers, the women start cooking a variety of delicacies for the day's lunch. The feast or the 'sadya' is prepared by the women of the household and the whole family sits down to enjoy the vishu lunch together. The dishes prepared from the vegetables and fruits that are abundant in the season like jackfruits, mangoes, pumkins, a variety of gourds, and coconuts.
The young people of the village go from house to house, dancing and collecting money. They usually do this in groups dressed up as the ' chozhi' with dried banana leaves tied around their waists and masks on their faces. On this day, the people give money to them willingly. By the evening they have enough money to spend in the Vishuwela (the new year fair). The evenings are spent in these fairs where there is a lot of revelry, with music and various dance troupes.
The famous temples like Guruvayur, Sabarimala and Padmanaba Shetram are filled with devotees. Special pujas are held in these temples where the people go to worship and pray for a prosperous New Year. They also view the Vishukanis that are prepared in each of these temples.
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