Reminiscences of Vishu
View from Chenganda bridge,Cherthala , adjacent to home I t is holiday season for the students and kids in Kerala. How they await with fancied anticipation the mid summer holidays! Normally the vacation starts from the 1st of April and extends upto the 31st of May when the onset of the south west monsoons is announced. The summer has started, but the greenery is seen all around. It is also the season for ripened mangoes. Vishu , the second most important festival of Kerala Hindus is celebrated during the middle of April, most often on the fourteenth. Harvests are over and Easter is round the corner. Astronomically, Vishu falls around the Vernal Equinox, the day when the duration of the day and the night is equal over this part of the globe. As per Indian astrology, Vishu signifies the sun’s movement to the first zodiac sign called Mesha Raasi . In various names, the festival is known all over India. For example, in north India, the Punjabis celebrate it as Baisakhi . In these recessio...