Keralites celebrate Vishu today with gaiety

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 15: Keralites today celebrated Vishu, the harvest festival, with traditional gaiety and fervour.

People woke up early to look at 'Vishu Kani', the ceremonial sighting of precious articles, fruits and vegetables. ''Vishu Kani'' is considered to be auspicious and it is believed that the ''Kani'' one sees and its good tidings would stay till the year ends.

Temples across the state, including the famous Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple and Sabarimala Ayyppa shrine, also arranged 'Vishu Kani', where devotees thronged in large numbers. Large number of people preferred to see ''Vishu Kani'' in temples.

Another tradition of Vishu is the ''Vishu Kaineetam'' or cash offering, , which the elders in the family give to the women and children. A sumptuous feast, mostly comprising typical Malayali dishes is another feature on the occasion.

In North Kerala, where Vishu is celebrated on a grandeur scale, the occasion also marked the beginning of week-long 'Vishu Vilakku' festival in several temples. Here Vishu is greeted with bursting of crackers and colourful fireworks.

UNI