Along
with the summer holidays come the festivities of Vishu. The Hindu households of
Kerala get ready to welcome this New Year of prosperity and wealth during the
month of April. If you are planning for Kerala tour packages in April, make sure you are in Kerala on the 14th
of April to celebrate Vishu. It is actually a harvest festival which also has a
few mythological stories connected to it. It is believed that Lord Krishna
killed Narakasura on this day. Another myth related to Vishu is that Rama
killed Ravana on this day. In short, we celebrate Vishu to commemorate this
victory of good over the evil. There’s a great deal of celebrations associated
with Vishu which includes the extravagant lunch feast called Sadya.
The
preparations for Vishu start the previous day itself with shopping for
vegetables and grocery to make the Sadya. By night, the elders of the house
prepare the Vishukkani which is the auspicious sight to be seen first thing
early in the morning. Though the same day is celebrated in different ways in
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Vishu is a celebration which is unique to the
people of Kerala. We welcome the new harvest year or the new astrological year
with the grandeur of new clothes, money, sadya and firecrackers.
Though
Vishu is typically a Hindu festival, most of the Malayalees join the
celebration as a family get-together during their summer holidays Kerala tourism packages for enjoying the summer days. The hotels, resorts, malls and retail shops join the
celebrations with various offers and decorations to celebrate the forthcoming
prosperity. It is a shopping season as well as tourist season as the schools
will be closed for 2 months of summer holidays and people visit their ancestral
houses in Kerala to celebrate Vishu.
Vishu Kani
Vishu
Kani is the decoration done using the golden yellow ‘Konnappoo’ which blossoms
during this season in Kerala and the various seasonal fruits like Jackfruit,
Mango, Guava etc. which are usually available from the household garden itself.
Since the city does not have these fruit orchards, they buy them from the
market or get them from their ancestral homes that still grow them. For those
newly married into a Malayali family, celebrating Vishu during their honeymoon packages with exclusive offers in Vishu will be an amusing experience.
A
big, thick bottom vessel called ‘Ururli’ which is typically used to make
Payasam is kept in the Pooja room filled with raw rice. Upon that the various
fruits are arranged. A coconut is cut into 2 and both sides are kept with the
open sides facing up. They are filled with gold or silver coins or money. A
Kasavu Mundu is starched and pleated like a Japanese fan and kept over the
rice. Betel leaves, Arecanut, Fresh lemon and Golden cucumber are also arranged
on the Uruli. An Aranmula mirror to reflect all these plus our face is also
kept in the background decorated with gold chain. A statue of Lord Krishna
playing the flute is also kept facing us. Not to forget the Konnapoo, this is
spread over the fruits!
These
decorations are done late at night by the elders at home. Usually, the
ancestral homes are full of children and grandchildren during this time who
come for on Kerala packages during the holidays. Early in the morning,
much before the sunrise, the eldest member wakes up and lights the auspicious
lamp which brightens up the Vishukkani. One by one, the other members are woken
up, blindfolding their eyes with the hands so that their first sight of the New
Year is the auspicious Vishukkani which depicts wealth and prosperity. The
mirror is kept so that we see our face along with the Vishukkani. It is a great
feeling which has to be experienced.
The
Malayalis all over the world make sure they arrange a simple Vishukkani at
least, with whatever things are available with them to a great start of New
Year. This will be the most beautiful sight of Kerala holiday packages
if you have not yet experienced it. Once the Vishukkani is seen, the younger
ones take blessings from the elders at home.
Vishu Kaineettam
This
is my favourite part of Vishu! Kaineettam is given as an auspicious start to
the New Year. The elders give pocket money to the younger members so that they
will have a prosperous start of the year. It depicts wealth which the elders
bless the younger ones with a token blessing. Earlier, the elders used to give
Annas and 1 rupee coins to the youngsters! The children back then used to
consider that as a great wealth and keep them safe so that they could buy some
toffee or ice cream later. Now the children are much smarter and know the value
of money. No one gives a coin as Kaineettam unless it is gold! Now Kaineettam
is given in notes! Children also look forward to collecting it from every elder
member of the family including their own brothers and sisters who are to give
them from their earnings! So the youngest member will become the richest one in
the house!
My
cousins who would come on Kerala tour packages from Mumbai during their
holidays love this aspect of Vishu a lot. They collect all this money and spend
them later on street shopping for jewellery or toys. As for the newly married couples on their Kerala honeymoon packages, this is the
perfect time to meet up all the elders of the family and seek their blessings
for a happy and prosperous married life. They have to meet and greet the elders
with new clothes and Vishukkani for them. That’s the twist in the tale!
Vishu Kani Vili
Those
on Kerala tour packages from Delhi
will find this ritual quite an amusing one. The Hindu Nair families still
follow this ritual early morning on Vishu. Once the members have all seen the
Vishukkani, the Karanavar or the elderly male of the family carries the
Vishukkani sans the mirror, around the house, shouting “Vishu Kani” so that
those in the neighbourhood who could not arrange the Vishukkani can still see
the auspicious sight before they start the New Year.
Vishu Kodi
Like
Onam, Vishu also has a customary gifting of new clothes to the family members.
After seeing the Vishukkani, the family members take a bath and get dressed in
new clothes and visit the temple to accept Vishukkani from the temple. These
days, even if we are not able to make a Kerala trip during Vishu, we give a
few coins to our temple priest so that he would perform some pooja on it and
give it back to us for Vishu as Kani.
Vishu Kanji
Though
Vishu is celebrated with an elaborate lunch feast prepared and enjoyed with the
entire family, some places of Kerala has this tradition of having a Vishu Kanji
which is a rice porridge made with coconut and jiggery missed with rice for the
breakfast. If you are visiting the Malabar region during your Kerala tour for Vishu you can enjoy the Kanji there. For lunch, dishes made of
the fruits such as jackfruit and mango are a must. Typically, the fruits and
vegetables kept for Vishukkani are cut and made to tasty dishes and served for
the Sadya. For those who are on Kerala tours during Vishu, can book a Sadya at
one of the hotels or with famous caterers so that they can enjoy the lavish
spread of 25 to 30 items with payasams and various dishes that invigorate every
taste bud in your mouth. A finger-licking lunch is guaranteed for Vishu.
Maattachantha or the Barter Market
This
is an interesting market which is rare now. In fact, this is the only market of
this kind that runs for a couple of days just before Vishu. Earlier, when we
did not have the money system for buying, we used to follow the barter system.
If you want a goat, you give away something else you have in return for the
goat. Similarly, the Maattachantha used to function for a couple of days at the
Siva Temple premises in Chendamangalam. Pottery, Wooden, metal and stone tools
and utensils, jute and coir mats, palm mats and various other items that are
traditional and rare to get in the markets now are available here even now
though the barter system is not followed anymore.
The
artisans still continue the tradition and they function this market which is like
a flea market where you get some very useful and rare to get items for everyday
use. Children on Kerala tour love this market as they get to buy some toy and
sugar candy. It closes the day before Vishu as the vendors have to buy items
for their Vishu celebration with the money they make here. As if customary, it
rains slightly during the Maattachantha though it does not spoil the business.
Those on honeymoon packages in Kerala in or near Kochi area can visit this
market just before Vishu and get some good bargains on things that they won’t
get anywhere else.
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