Vishu (വിഷു) "Keralites New Year"

Its exactly a week before, All keralite across the globe happen to celebrate "Vishu" the good part is that it do not restrict any caste or religion from celebrating...

This is the second this in my life that i was not with my family to celebrate it... which is used to enjoy to celebrate... i bet all would love to with their family and loved once to celebrate on all festive occasions...

Just to give a small explanation... about the festive "Vishu"... its celebrated across Kerala, buy the north part of Kerala also do mark it as the new year also along with the harvest festival which i guess is shared with many other part in India say like "Baisakhi -- Punjab" "Bihu -- Assam" "VIshu -- Tamil Nadu" and so on...

Usual the celebration start a night before, when the elderly lady of the house "in my case my nani" would decorate the pooja roam, with neatly arrange all the idols with large number or brass lamp, with earthen vessel filled with "Rice" "Grain" "Pulses" plate will have any denomination currency & gold, plates filled with fruits and with some vegetables. And about the flower "semma konna" it’s a yellow flower which only glooms once a year during this 2 week time, and “Rangoli” made diluted rice batter.

And the usually the muharaat is at 4 -6 am when nani will wake us up but will make sure that we are not opening our eyes she would assist us walk to the pooja room and make us open our eyes looking at the great view, the whole room would be lit in oil candle (brass lamp as mentioned earlier) then we would be given some sweets, followed with "kai neetam" where in elders will gift money to all small and younger people, and which follows with "Vishu padakam" in short burning fire crackers.
And later in the afternoon we would have a gala lunch "Vishu Sadhaya"... just to mention half a dozen curries to names some (sambhar, aviyal"a mixed veg curry made with coconut milk", coot-curry" main ingredient is raw banana & elephant foot (suran)" pacchadi(lauki with coconut milk)" with a couple of chutney, acchar, and will follow with couple of payasam one is of rice.

Do after all this I guess its really fair enough to say that i am missing all this.

This is how usually the Pooja room would look

This is how a typical lunch "Vishu Sadhya" which we do have on for vishu celebration.