Vishu is the day when you wake up to see all things auspicious or the Vishukkani.
But the resplendent kani (the first thing one sees), which is believed to usher in a year of happiness and prosperity, differs from region to region, even from house to house. “Thanks to umpteen ‘How to arrange Vishukkani’ videos on social media, I am often confused about the components,” says Arundhati S, an entrepreneur from Thiruvananthapuram. She adds, “I have never kept some of those elements in the kani that my mother traditionally arranges at home.”
The staples of a Vishukkani are the uruli (traditional cookware in bronze), nilavilakku (traditional lamp), kanikkonna (golden shower), kanivellari (golden cucumber), mangoes, jackfruit, rice, coins, mirrors, gold and silver ornaments and a new or freshly-laundered mundu or dhoti, all arranged before the Krishna idol. In some households any sacred text, kanmashi (kohl), vermillion and ashtamangalyam (a set of eight auspicious objects) are also kept.
