Dubai: Thousands of Hindu expatriates from several Indian states will celebrate their New Year this weekend.
Keralites, who form the largest group of Indian expats in the UAE, are celebrating Vishu on Friday.
Lathika Rajesh from Tiruvalla, a radiotherapist-turned-homemaker living in Dubai, said the highlights of the harvest festival of Vishu are the Vishukkani [an arrangement of auspicious items which include gold, coins, new clothes, fresh fruits and vegetables and blossoms of kanikonna [cassia fistula known as the golden rain tree], that are viewed first on the day; Vishukaineettam [pocket money gifted to youngsters by older people at home]; and sadhya, the traditional vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf.
“We will be buying the fresh vegetables and kanikkonna today. I will prepare the sadhya and payasam (a dessert) tomorrow. My brothers-in-law will join my family for lunch,” Lathika told Gulf News on Thursday.
Sangeetha Sunil from Thalassery in north Kerala, who lives in Sharjah, said Vishu brings back nostalgic memories to most expats. “The festivities used to be different back home. We used to wait for Vishu to get Vishukaineettam to enjoy our holidays. It is not a big deal for today’s children, especially kids raised here,” she said.
A mother of two teens, Sangeetha said she misses the bursting of firecrackers during the festival back home.
While Malayalees celebrate Vishu on Friday, for the Christian community the day will see the observance of Good Friday.
Thara Thankachan, an IT sales professional, said her friends postponed having their Vishu feast with her to Saturday to allow her to observe Good Friday.
“This time I cannot join them for Vishu lunch as it is Good Friday. So, they are celebrating Vishu again on Saturday to have a get-together with me,” she said.
Hypermarkets and supermarkets reported a huge rush of people buying Vishu items while several restaurants are expecting tens of thousands of customers to relish the Vishu sadhya comprising 25 or more items.
Salim M.A,, director of Lulu Group, told Gulf News the group alone imported almost 170 tonnes of fruits and vegetables on account of Vishu.
“Almost five tonnes of flowers including 3 tonnes of Vishukonna have also been imported. So far, we have received some 10,700 pre-orders for the Vishusadhya made from our in-house kitchens. We also have a counter which sells 16 varieties of payasam.”
Indian expats from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and North and Central India are also celebrating the Hindu New Year, according to the solar calendar, each with their distinctive traditions this weekend. The Sikh community is celebrating Baisakhi on Thursday and Friday while Sinhala and Tamil New Year that is celebrated in Sri Lanka falls on Friday.
Families are getting together in most of the communities to celebrate the auspicious start of the year on the weekend. The Gurunanak Darbar Gurdwara in Jebel Ali will serve free meals to some 40,000 visitors on Friday.
