Has its regional variations

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 videos on ‘How to arrange Vishukkani’ on social media, I am often confused about the components,” says Arundhati S, an entrepreneur from the city. She adds, “Some of those elements are not 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 freshlylaundered 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.

Vipina E, who moved to the city from Kozhikode postmarriage, says, “I was surprised to see so many fruits – apples, grapes, pineapple etc in the kani while back home we arrange mostly homegrown produce such as mangoes, jackfruit and bananas. Also,

neyyappam is a must for our kani, whereas there is no such practice here.” In Central Travancore and parts of North Kerala, wick lamps are lit inside coconuts broken into two halves. The wicks are made using clean cloth filled with rice, says K Rekha, writer. However, there are households where coconut halves are placed without the wick. “In our home, one half of the coconut is filled with

kalluppu (rock salt) and the other with puliyavara (butter beans),” says Manjula Jyotiprakash from Alathur in Palakkad.

Visual treat

“The kasavu mundu pleated like a hand fan adds to the beauty of the kani. The