Vishu

Vishu is one of the most important festivals in the industrial city of Kochi in the subcontinent of India. Vishu of Kochi is celebrated with a lot of pomp and grandeur. This festival of Kerala is held on the occasion of the New Year.

The New Year celebrations include a lot of traditional rituals and customs, which are closely associated with the socio-cultural life of the place. According to popular belief, the rituals followed on the occasion of Vishu are meant to usher in a year of economic stability and general well being for all the people of the city.

The festival of Vishu in Kochi is held in April or March. The tentative date on which this popular festival of Kochi is organized is the 14th. This date of the English calendar corresponds to the very first day in the month of Medam in the local calendar of Kerala, that is, the Malayalam calendar. The Malayalam calendar starts with the month of Medam.

The women of Kochi prepare a dish from bell metal and place an ornament made of gold, a manuscript, a few Konna flowers, an unused piece of cloth, a broken coconut, a couple of coins and some other fruits. The people of the region are made to see this dish, called the Kani. This ritual is an integral part of the festival of Vishu at Kochi.

According to traditional beliefs, the way this important day of the year is spent is reflected in the rest of the year. Therefore, the people of Kochi consider receiving a nice gift or a good view lucky. They believe that such incidents indicate the premonition of a lot of happiness in the year ahead.