Vishu is one of the few Malayalee festivals that is celebrated based on the Solar Calendar. It falls on the first day of the month of Medam (April 14th). The day marks the Sun’s arrival in the zodiac of Mesha and signals the start of the New Year. There are 60 years in the Hindu cyclic calendar, with the first being Prabhava. The Hindu year that would be born on the 14th of April this year is Sarvadhari. The highlight of Vishu celebrations is the Vishukani. As I prepare for this year’s Vishu, my mind winds back to the Vishu celebrations from my childhood.
Though we lived several hundred miles away from our native land, Amma always made sure that we followed all our festivals in their true spirit. Traditionally, the Vishukani is arranged in an Uruli on the previous night. The uruli is a shallow circular vessel made out of bell metal. Since it’s a very fragile metal, it was used only sparingly for special occasions like these. On the night before Vishu, Amma would bring down the Uruli from the attic, give it a scrupulous scrubbing and make it shine like new. The place selected for the kani would also be cleaned and made ready with kolam (rangoli).
The arrangement used to be an elaborate affair that would take an hour or so. She would place Lord Guruvayurappan’s photo first on a wooden platform. In front of the photo, a mirror would be placed. She would decorate the photo and the mirror with flowers. The uruli would then be placed in front of the mirror. She would fill the base with paccharisi (raw rice), followed by a white silk cloth, usually Appa’s angavastram. The kani items would then follow one by one: yellow cucumber, golden ripe bananas, ripe mangoes, jackfruit, fruits, vazhappoo (banana flower), pudavalangai (snake gourd), halved coconuts, pumpkin and konnappoo (cassia fistula). The halved coconuts would be filled with gold ornaments and coins. Crisp rupee notes were kept in a separate plate. All of this would be covered by another silk cloth and left overnight. Lastly, she would place a nilavilakku (bell metal lamp), complete with oil and wick and a ready matchbox.
That night Amma would sleep near the kani. She would be the first one to be up before the crack of dawn. With closed eyes, she would light the lamp. She would then prayerfully open her eyes and take in the beauty of the Lord. Appa would be the next one to awake. After their respective kanikanals, it would be the kids’ turn for the kanikanal. His hands firmly over our eyes to prevent any mischievous peeking, Appa would lead us kids one by one to the kani. Two drops of water to rub our eyes with and we would be asked to open our eyes to behold the beauty and grace of the auspicious arrangement. Being the first day of the New Year, it’s only appropriate that we look at auspicious things first when we woke up.
The next big ritual was the Vishu Kaineettam given by Appa and Amma. Getting a rupee note and a few coins gave us so much joy that we eagerly looked forward to with anticipation. The kaineettam was our own money, to be spent on anything we wanted! Even during difficult times, Appa and Amma made sure they gave us generous kaineettams. The next few days after Vishu would see us cousins counting our moneys and seeing who got the most.
I remember a Vishu that I spent at my paternal grandfather’s home in Kerala when I was little. So instead of Appa and Amma, it was ammoommai who showed us the Vishukani that year. The house was full with all the cousins. After the kani, we cousins pooled our money and bought firecrackers. While the rest of the country bursts firecrackers for Diwali, Kerala has firecrackers during Vishu.
Talking of konnappoo, it was a rarity in our city and difficult to procure. Only a few shops would have them. There have been a few years when we had to miss the konnappoo because it wasn’t available. Mercifully, Vishu day used to be holiday for offices and schools, so we could really celebrate the day. Unlike Onam, there is no elaborate feast for Vishu, but Amma used to prepare a mini-feast anyway.
Now living thousands of miles away from motherland, we continue to celebrate Vishu.
I prepare the Vishukani the previous night; complete with the mirror, gold, fruits and Lord Guruvayurappan’s photo. I don’t get all the ingredients for the kani and make do with whatever I can get. Instead of konnappoo, I have chrysanthemums. Some years, I have been lucky to get vazhappoo (banana flower) The jackfruit is one fruit I miss.
I, as the eldest lady (!) of the house, wake up before the crack of dawn just like amma used to. I behold the graceful beauty of the Lord before waking up husband and daughter. Daughter gets her kaineettam, but in dollar bills. Since most of the time it would be a working day, we rush to the school and office afterward. We have a watered down feast at dinnertime. But most importantly, we have seen the kani. And having seen the Kani, we look forward to a year filled with prosperity and happiness.
The fervour might have diminished due to time and space constraints, but the spirit continues.
(Picture is from the Internet at http://www.zonkerala.com. Copyrights acknowledged)
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Glossary:
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Vishu
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Festival of Kerala
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Vishukani
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Arrangement of auspicious things seen on the daybreak of Vishu
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Kaineettam
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Cash gift given by elders to children on Vishu
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Ammoommai
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Grandmother
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Medam
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April – May (Malayalam month)
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Lord Guruvayurappan
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Lord Vishnu
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WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS VISHU.
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Hi Dev
Thanks for the Vishu wishes. Wish you the same.
Warm regards
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Hi Melody... belated greetings on Vishu to you and all family members... Dev
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Dear Dr. Kartha
Belated Vishu wishes to you and family too.
<I pray for you to experience the continued blessings of Mata Vageswari>
What more could I ask for?
We do miss our families on festive occasions. And like you have said:
<The only remedy is to ensure that those who are ‘enacting’ our earlier roles are enjoying the occasion fully and we share that joy>
Daughter enjoyed her Vishu and the kanikanal. Over the years she has come to look forward to this celebration. More so, because it is spring here. The warm weather after months of cold also adds to the festive mood.
I understand your pangs when you say even the spirit is diminishing. Last year's liquor sales during Onam is a pointer. Celebration has come to take an all together new meaning. Mirth making has taken over piety and devotion.
Thanks for the links. I will definitely read your blogs.
Thanks once again for the blessings and lovely comment. It's always a pleasure to read you, be it your blogs or your comments.
Warm regards
Melody
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Dear Melody,
Sorry for coming over to your Vishu celebrations very late.
I cannot give you the traditional Kaineetam due to obvious logistics hurdles. Nonetheless, that does not stop me from offering you something much better; I pray for you to experience the continued blessings of Mata Vageswari.
“I, as the eldest lady (!) of the house, wake up before the crack of dawn just like amma used to. I behold the graceful beauty of the Lord before waking up husband and daughter.”
From your nicely structured sentence, I can hear your subtly expressed pains of growing away from that blissful childhood and being away from your Mother while enacting her role. We all go thro’ this ‘growth pangs’ nearly every occasion, all through our lives. The only remedy is to ensure that those who are ‘enacting’ our earlier roles are enjoying the occasion fully and we share that joy.
“The fervour might have diminished due to time and space constraints, but the spirit continues. “
I fully agree with you except the last clause. I feel even the ‘spirit’ is under threat, the reasons for which have been expressed in a few of my blogs.
On Vishu, I had published a detailed article last year. You may have a look at it. The link is http://kartha-pes.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/04/vishu-an-expression-of-keraleeyatha-2.htm
By the by, today I have up linked a poem based on my Birthday Thoughts.
http://kartha-pes.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/04/sixty-first-19-4-by-the-grace-of-mother.htm
With Prayers,
Kartha
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Dear Rajaputhran Sir
Welcome to my blogs once again. It gives me great pleasure to read your comment.
Kaineettam adjusted for inflation haha. My appa has a collection of annas (copper coins with a hole in the middle). He used to give us a few coins as kaineettam on Vishu. Though not legal tender, we still used to take immense joy in receiving the coins from him as keepsake. I think that is the spirit of Vishu - the joy of giving and receiving, blessings included.
Shri. Girdhar Gopal had earlier commented that I had made my own luck in trying to keep our traditions alive. Yesterday, I happened to read a news report that the TN govt had given oral orders to temples asking them not to celebrate the traditional Varsha Pirappu nor read the Panchangams on April 14th. I'm reminded of the saying: Swami varam koduthalum pujari varam kodukkalai.
Hope you had a wonderful Vishu.
Warm regards
MQ
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Melody Queen:
"The fervour might have diminished due to time and space constraints, but the spirit continues."
I don't think so. Not at the way I saw my frersh crisp bundle of new ten rupee notes diminishing in size. Our Vishukani Naetam had also increased in value from the Chakkaram of my Great Grand Father to the Kaal-Rupa of my Grand Father and Oru-Rupa of my Father to Rupees Ten of my days! Inflation, what else? Being the Karnavar of the Vaidyanathan Family, I saw with great pleasure the dwindling bundle, as lots of my relatives felt that it would be good for the coming days if they could get my blessings especialy if the day happened to be auspicious !!
I have never been more humbled than on the day of Vishu. Vanangamudi Vaidyanathan getting so much Bhave? Often times I wonder whether it is for my intrinsic qualities or for the open wallet that I maintain on that day?
But that is immaterial. What is of import is that people look up to me as an elder and seek my blessings. There is a great pleausre in giving blessings as much in receiving blessings. I have no elders in my family to bless me so I give that honour to the Little Kalla Krishnan at Guruvayoor whose Kani Kaanum Neeram is always so blissful.
I enjoyed reading your blog once again and am doubly convinced that it is because of mothers like you our tradition will live for ever.
Kind regards.
Pushpagiri Chandrasekar Vaidyanathan Iyer.
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Dear Shri. Girdhar
. Hopefully my daughter will carry forward in the true spirit.
Vishu is a beautiful festival. Seeing Him in all His glory first thing at the crack of dawn has universal appeal, very special.
<You are lucky to still continue old traditions but what is significant that you made your own luck !>
Yes, our luck is what we make out of it
Thanks for the lovely comment and vote.
Regards
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Melody: Tradition that is not mixed up with caste and discrimination is a beautiful thing. What you describe is obviously handed down from from generation to generation from mother to child and apparently in your family will continue at least for generation or two or hopefully more, despite being in North America. You are lucky to still continue old traditions but what is significant that you made your own luck !
Best
Girdhar
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Hi Indu
Nice to see you here. Thanks for the lovely comment and the wishes.
Regards
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Those are lovely memories. Beautiful post Melody.
Happy Vishu.
Indu
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