Pics: Kerala New Year

Thiruvanthapuram/Thrissur: It’s the Malayalee New Year on Sunday and Kerala is celebrating the occasion by vishu-kani - offerings of rice, linen, betel leaves, vegetables and metal mirrors to the diety.

The day is celebrated in God's Own Country and elsewhere as Vishu and the custom is to wake at dawn and ensure that the offerings are the first things one sees - a ceremony believed to bring good luck and prosperity.

The Kanni-Konna, a flower that usually blooms only in April, is used extensively on this day.

It's the kids who have the most to gain from Vishu, quite literally. Elders in the family are bound by custom to give money as a gift to younger members.

“The best part of the day is that we get lots of money with which we can buy a number of gifts. We wake up early in the morning to see the Kani and then wait eagerly for the eldrers to give us money. I love the crackers also,” says a Malayalee, Vishnu.

Like no celebration is complete without mandatory feasting, Vishu too is flavoured with sweets and a traditional spread called sadhya.

Temples and markets are difficult places to visit on the day and festival crowds ensure that it isn't just the gods, but even the traders in God's own country who're a happy lot this festival season.

Custom has it that devotees see the Kaani the first thing on Vishu morning.

Kaani includes rice, linen, betel leaves and vegetables among other things.

Kanni Kona is a flower that blooms only in April and is used in Vishu celebrations.

A traditional feast is an inextricable part of Vishu celebrations.

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