Vishu 2022: Date, history, significance and celebrations

Vishu, the harvest festival celebrated primarily in Kerala, falls on the first day of the Malayali month of Medam. The word Vishu means “equal” in Sanskrit, and it marks the vernal equinox when the lengths of day and night are nearly equal.

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Date 

This year, Vishu or the Malayali New Year will be celebrated on April 15, which is a Friday.

History

According to mythology, Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura on this day, while another version claims that it was the day when Surya Dev returned. The demon king Ravana is claimed to have prevented the Sun God from rising from the east, and Vishu commemorates the day after Ravana’s death when the sun finally rose from the east.

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Significance

The day, also known as Malayali New Year, is considered auspicious for the commencement of the harvest season, and farmers begin ploughing the land on this day. Vishu, like many other festivals, represents new beginnings, dreams, and ambitions. It’s a day when people pray for their loved ones and look forward to a healthy and prosperous new year. On this day, some rites are also to be observed.

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Celebration

The celebrations begin at daybreak when people wake up early in the morning and gaze at Vishu Kani to begin their day. A senior member of the family sets up the Vishu Kani a day before the celebration, which is a ceremonial placement of auspicious items such as uncooked rice, flowers, coins, lemon, golden cucumber, jack fruit, a holy book, cotton dhoti, and other items in the puja area. These items are placed in Uruli, a bell-shaped vessel. Nilavilakku, a traditional metal lamp, is also lit and placed next to Uruli. On the day of the celebration, everyone in the family closes their eyes and looks at Vishu Kani first thing in the morning to invite good luck and prosperity.

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Following the Vishu Kani custom, Malayalis read poems from the Ramayana, after which everyone bursts crackers as part of Vishu Paddakam. The entire family then gathers to enjoy the magnificent Vishu Sadya, which is served on a banana leaf and includes at least 20-30 courses. Some of the foods served at the feast are Vishu Thoran, Beans Thoran, Beetroot Pachadi, Manga Peukku, Tomato Rasam, Aviyal, Sarkara Varatti, Olan, Chakka Aviyal, and Semiya Payasam.