Vishu simply means equal, and it connotes the completion of the Spring equinox in the sense of the festival. The festival is remarkable for its solemnity and general lack of pomp The festival is characterized by family time, preparing colorful propitious things and showing them as the first thing on the Vishu day. In particular, Malayali wants to see the golden flowers of Indian laburnum money or silver items and rice. The day also attracts children to play fireworks, wearing new clothes and eating a special meal called Sadhya, a mixture of salty, sweet, sour and bitter items. Ithe vishu is celebrated by giving Vishu kai neetam, by exchanging the money it is a blessing from the family.
Usually the Vishu arrangement includes a Vishnu image, usually in Lord Krishna form. People also visit temples like Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple or Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple or Kulathupuzha Sree BaalaShastha Temple in the early hours of the day to get a 'Vishukkani Kazhcha.'
Vishukkani
The word "kani" in Malayalam literally means "what is first seen," so "Vishukkani" means "what is first seen on Vishu." The traditional belief is that one's future is a result of what one encounters, that if one considers auspicious joyous events as the first thing on Vishu, the new year would be better. Hence, women in Malayali spend the day preparing a room, usually a tray, of auspicious objects. The first thing they see when they wake up on Vishu day is this atmosphere.
The Vishukkani setting consists of things such as rice, golden lemon, golden cucumber, coconut cut open, jack fruit, kanmashi kajal, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror (Vaalkannadi), golden yellow Konna flowers (Cassia fistula) which bloom in the Vishu season, holy Hindu texts, coins or currency notes, oil lamp (nilavilakku), and an image of the Hindu god Vishnu. Mirror in Vishukani is a sign of seeing yourself in the form of Kani as a part of the abundance you see.
The new year Vishu day is celebrated elsewhere, but is named by other names. Hindus and Sikhs in northern and central India call it Vaisakhi, which also marks the solar new year, and Puthandu is considered the Tamil New Year day. Every year the New Year's Day on or around 14 April is also the new year for many Buddhist communities in parts of Southeast Asia such as Myanmar and Cambodia, potentially affecting their common culture in the 1st millennium CE.
Usually the Vishu arrangement includes a Vishnu image, usually in Lord Krishna form. People also visit temples like Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple or Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple or Kulathupuzha Sree BaalaShastha Temple in the early hours of the day to get a 'Vishukkani Kazhcha.'
Vishukkani
The word "kani" in Malayalam literally means "what is first seen," so "Vishukkani" means "what is first seen on Vishu." The traditional belief is that one's future is a result of what one encounters, that if one considers auspicious joyous events as the first thing on Vishu, the new year would be better. Hence, women in Malayali spend the day preparing a room, usually a tray, of auspicious objects. The first thing they see when they wake up on Vishu day is this atmosphere.
The Vishukkani setting consists of things such as rice, golden lemon, golden cucumber, coconut cut open, jack fruit, kanmashi kajal, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror (Vaalkannadi), golden yellow Konna flowers (Cassia fistula) which bloom in the Vishu season, holy Hindu texts, coins or currency notes, oil lamp (nilavilakku), and an image of the Hindu god Vishnu. Mirror in Vishukani is a sign of seeing yourself in the form of Kani as a part of the abundance you see.
The new year Vishu day is celebrated elsewhere, but is named by other names. Hindus and Sikhs in northern and central India call it Vaisakhi, which also marks the solar new year, and Puthandu is considered the Tamil New Year day. Every year the New Year's Day on or around 14 April is also the new year for many Buddhist communities in parts of Southeast Asia such as Myanmar and Cambodia, potentially affecting their common culture in the 1st millennium CE.