Vishu Festival 2010 Celebration
By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News NetworkWednesday, April 14, 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- In Kerala, Vishu Festival marks the beginning of the New Year which usually falls in mid April. It is a major occasion for the residents of Kerala. The residents of the state wish each other good luck and send Vishu SMSes to the relatives and friends. The women in Malayali households prepare the ‘Vishukkani’ with care. It is composed of stuffs like raw rice, golden cucumber, fresh linen, betel leaves etc. One also needs to accumulate materials like a sacred book, metal mirror, a bell metal lamp and so on. The family members are asked to go to the place where the Vishukkani is kept and they have to go blindfolded. The Vishu festival also includes a sumptuous dinner.
As a part of celebrating Vishu festival the women in Kerala clean and adorn the household. Exclusive sweets are purchased or prepared at home and new clothes are purchased as well. However, all these activities take place in traditional joint families these days. The busy professionals and nuclear families do not have the time to make such elaborate arrangements. Some of them manage to meet relatives and near and dear ones though. In a lot of families, the elders in the family give money to the juniors on Vishu.
The Vishu festival also means a time for bonding with old friends for the residents of Kerala. It is not so much a religious festival but a season for celebration and merriment. The busy people mostly resort to Vishu online greetings and festive SMSes for wishing their relatives and friends.
