Festival · 2027

Vishu 2027 — Thursday, 15 April 2027

Vishu is Kerala’s spring festival on the first day of the solar month of Medam, when the first sight on waking is the Vishukkani, an arrangement of light, gold, grain and golden flowers.

In 2026

Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Sunrise / sunset: 5:55 AM / 6:46 PM
Sankranti moment: 14 Apr, 9:32 AM

Rule: The first sunrise after the Sun enters sidereal Aries (Mesha Sankranti), when the Vishukkani is seen at dawn.

In 2027

Thursday, 15 April 2027

Sunrise / sunset: 5:56 AM / 6:46 PM
Sankranti moment: 14 Apr, 3:28 PM

Rule: The first sunrise after the Sun enters sidereal Aries (Mesha Sankranti), when the Vishukkani is seen at dawn.

Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar

What is Vishu?

Vishu is celebrated in Kerala and among Malayalis everywhere on the first day of Medam, the Malayalam name for the solar month that begins when the Sun enters sidereal Aries. The word vishu refers to the equinox: in ancient times the Sun’s entry into Aries fell close to the spring equinox, when day and night are equal, and the name has stayed with the day although the two have since drifted apart. The Malayalam era, the Kollavarsham, begins its year in Chingam, but Vishu is still felt as a new beginning, the astronomical new year of Kerala.

The heart of Vishu is the Vishukkani, literally “the first sight of Vishu”. On the night before, the eldest woman of the household arranges in a bell-metal vessel called an uruli raw rice, a golden cucumber, a halved coconut, fruits such as mango and jackfruit, betel leaves and areca nut, gold ornaments, coins, a folded new cloth, a text such as the Ramayana or Bhagavatam, a metal mirror and bunches of golden konna flowers, the Indian laburnum. The arrangement is placed before an image of Krishna and a lit nilavilakku, the tall brass lamp.

Before dawn, family members are led to the kani one by one with their eyes closed, so that the first thing they see in the new year is this picture of light and plenty. The belief behind the custom is simple: a year that begins by seeing abundance and beauty will be full of them. After the kani, elders give the young ones coins or money as Vishukkaineettam, a gift for a prosperous year, and many households also give to workers and neighbours.

The day continues with a bath, new clothes, fireworks called Vishupadakkam, and a festive meal. The Vishu sadya, served on banana leaves, has dishes that bring together the sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent, and many homes also make Vishu kanji and Vishu katta. The konna tree flowers in exactly this season, and its hanging golden clusters have become the symbol of the festival.

How it is observed

Arranging the Vishukkani in an uruli on the night before, with rice, golden cucumber, fruit, gold, coins, a mirror, a text, new cloth and konna flowers before an image of Krishna.
Waking before dawn and being led with closed eyes to see the kani as the first sight of the year.
Vishukkaineettam: elders giving coins or money to children and other family members.
Visiting temples for Vishu darshan, especially Guruvayur and Sabarimala, where the Vishukkani is arranged before the deity.
A bath, new clothes and a festive sadya at midday, with Vishu kanji or Vishu katta in many homes.
Lighting fireworks, the Vishupadakkam, in the evening before or on the morning of Vishu.

How the date is fixed

Vishu follows the Sun. Our calendar finds the moment the Sun enters sidereal Aries (Mesha Sankranti), and Vishu is the first sunrise after that moment, because the day opens with the Vishukkani, the first sight at dawn. When the Sun enters Aries in the night before dawn, Vishu is that same morning; when it enters during the day, Vishu is the next morning. The date above is worked out this way, and it matches the published almanac dates we checked. Because Tamil Nadu and Punjab instead take the day of the entry when it comes before sunset, Vishu can fall a day after Puthandu and Baisakhi.

Where practice differs

Vishu is kept throughout Kerala and by Malayali communities in other states and abroad. In the Tulu-speaking coast of Karnataka the same day is Bisu, with a similar first sight called Bisu kani, and in parts of Karnataka and Kodagu there are related customs. The kani, the sadya and the kaineettam are common everywhere, while the dishes and the details of the arrangement vary from district to district and family to family. Temples such as Guruvayur and Sabarimala open early for Vishukkani darshan. Because Vishu waits for the first dawn after the Sun’s entry, it can differ by a day from Tamil and northern calendars in some years; the temples of Kerala announce their own kani darshan times.

Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.

Questions people ask

What is Vishukkani?

Vishukkani is the arrangement of auspicious things seen first on the morning of Vishu: rice, golden cucumber, fruit, gold, coins, new cloth, a mirror, a sacred text and konna flowers, placed before Krishna with a lit lamp. Seeing it first is believed to set the tone for a bright and prosperous year.

Is Vishu the Malayalam New Year?

Vishu is the astronomical new year, the start of the solar month of Medam, and is celebrated as a new beginning. The Malayalam era, the Kollavarsham, begins its year on the first of Chingam in late summer, so Kerala in a sense has two new years.

What is Vishukkaineettam?

It is the gift of coins or money that elders give to children and other family members on Vishu morning, after the kani. It is a blessing for prosperity in the coming year rather than a large present.

Why is Vishu sometimes a day after Baisakhi or Puthandu?

All three mark the Sun’s entry into Aries. Tamil and Punjabi calendars take the day of the entry when it comes before sunset, while Vishu is the first dawn after the entry. When the Sun enters Aries during the day, Vishu moves to the next morning.