Vishu is new year festival celebrated in the state of kerala , india. It is similar to the New Year festivals observed elsewhere in India like baisakhi (punjab), Bihu (assam), Naba Barsha (Bengal), Bisu (tulu nadu), vishua sankranti in orissa, tn and ugadi (AP) . Vishu generally falls on April 14 of the Gregorian calendar. This occasion signifies the Sun's transit to the zodiac - Mesha Raasi (first zodiac sign) as per Indian astrological calculations and astronomically represents the vernal equinox. "Vishu" in Sanskrit means "equal". Therefore Vishu is more probably denoting one of the equinox days. Although Vishu (first of medam) is the astrological new year day of Kerala, the official Malayalam new year falls on the first month of Chingam(August - September). However, 1st of Chingam has no significance either astrologically or astronomically. Chingam is the harvest season in Kerala and southern parts of coastal Karnataka.
The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani, which literally " the first thing to be seen on the Vishu day post waking up". is our lord krishna .
The Vishukani or the auspicious sight of dear lord krishna with the arrangement of 'konna pua', a yellow laburnum flower, fruits like jackfruit and mangoes, vegetables like gourds and snake gourds, ornaments made of gold, bell metal mirror with a white, pleated cloth tied to it's handle ,the traditional bronze vessal'Uruli' filled with rice, items used for daily worship (asthamangalam), clothes with pure gold zari, a split coconut, some coins in a silver cup, some water in 'od ', a traditional vessal and a 'grantha', which is a palm leaf manuscript or the Bhagwat gita.
The Vishukani is prepared by the oldest member of the family the night before Vishu and the family members supposed to view it only after midnight. The kani is place in front of an image of Lord Vishnu and diyas are lit up (these are usually normal lamps but in some cases they use lamps made of coconut halves). Early in the morning of the festival, the oldest member of the family, after having viewed the kani and finished her puja, blindfolds each member of the family and sets them in front of the display.
The idea being , that all the members of the family look at the vishukani the first thing in the morning , and have the mercy and blessings of our lord krishna. They first look at the image, then the yellow light of the diyas and the kani in the yellow vessals.
hare krishna
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