Happy Vishu!
Wow, it has been a month since I last blogged. I was in India, and the internet connection was slow so I thought I'd come back to Singapore and get back to my blog.
Now I'm back and well, here I am, back to blogging.
I would like to start off by wishing all fellow Malayalees a very Happy Vishu!
Vishu is the harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, and many people mistake it for the New Year - even some Malayalees.
The New Year of Malayalees fall somewhere in September, on the Malayalam month of Chingam. The 1st day of Chingam is the New Year.
The most common reason for mistaking Vishu as the New Year is because it falls on or one day after the Tamil New Year.
This time of the year is celebrated by most Indians. It is either their New Year or Harvest festival. We Malayalee Hindus set up a special altar (like shown in the picture below) for Vishu, with a photo or statue of Lord Krishna, flowers, some seasonal fruits and vegetables, new clothes, coins and rice grains to represent abundance and prosperity. It's a way to seek blessings from Lord Krishna to yield good crops during the year, thus resulting in good food and wealth.
This is called the Vishukani and should be set up the night before. On Vishu, when we wake up, the Vishukani should be the first thing we set our eyes on. So in most households, the mother or father will light the lamp at the break of dawn, wake their family and guide them to the altar as their eyes will be closed. Then there is the usual Vishu feast with a variety of dishes, rice and desserts.
Malayalees overseas celebrate Vishu with what they can get in the country they're in. My husband and I are having a small celebration with a small altar set up, a couple special dishes and a dessert.
Ultimately, whether the celebration is big or small, it all comes down to one's faith in life. If we decide to stay positive, with positive thoughts and actions, we will always have a positive and prosperous life :)
Now I'm back and well, here I am, back to blogging.
I would like to start off by wishing all fellow Malayalees a very Happy Vishu!
The New Year of Malayalees fall somewhere in September, on the Malayalam month of Chingam. The 1st day of Chingam is the New Year.
The most common reason for mistaking Vishu as the New Year is because it falls on or one day after the Tamil New Year.
This time of the year is celebrated by most Indians. It is either their New Year or Harvest festival. We Malayalee Hindus set up a special altar (like shown in the picture below) for Vishu, with a photo or statue of Lord Krishna, flowers, some seasonal fruits and vegetables, new clothes, coins and rice grains to represent abundance and prosperity. It's a way to seek blessings from Lord Krishna to yield good crops during the year, thus resulting in good food and wealth.
This is called the Vishukani and should be set up the night before. On Vishu, when we wake up, the Vishukani should be the first thing we set our eyes on. So in most households, the mother or father will light the lamp at the break of dawn, wake their family and guide them to the altar as their eyes will be closed. Then there is the usual Vishu feast with a variety of dishes, rice and desserts.
Malayalees overseas celebrate Vishu with what they can get in the country they're in. My husband and I are having a small celebration with a small altar set up, a couple special dishes and a dessert.
Ultimately, whether the celebration is big or small, it all comes down to one's faith in life. If we decide to stay positive, with positive thoughts and actions, we will always have a positive and prosperous life :)
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