Thiruvananthapuram, April 15 (IANS) People across Kerala Friday thronged temples on the occasion of Vishu, the traditional New Year that is believed to signal good luck. Children, especially, hoped for generous gifts from elders.

 
 Sabarimala, Guruvayoor and the Sree Padmanabha Swamy shrine here saw heavy crowds. The state government declared a holiday as did private sector organisations, including banks.
 
 The biggest Vishu festivities are witnessed in north Kerala. In the southern districts, the Vishu lunch in Hindu homes is purely vegetarian while in the north the meal includes chicken and fish.
 
 Special prayers were held in temples and arrangements made for devotees to have 'Vishukani darshan', or auspicious sighting of the deity.
 
 In Hindu homes, preparations for Vishukani started the night before, with the cleaning of the 'urali' (a special vessel) and collection of fresh farm produce.
 
 The most popular items placed on the utensil are rice, grain, cucumber, pumpkin, coconut, plantain, mangoes and arecanut. All these are arranged in the prayer room that is decorated with 'konna' flowers (cassia fistula). It is in April that these flowers bloom.
 
 On the morning of the New Year, the young and old are blindfolded in front of the Vishukani placed in front of their favourite deity and it's the first thing they see in the morning.
 
 Younger ones get gifts and money from elders for a prosperous year.
 
 "This is one day I have been waiting for as at the end of the day I hope to get enough money from my aunts, uncles and elder cousins to buy myself a bicycle! So far the collection has been good," said Kailash Menon, a Class 7 student in Thiruvalla.
 
 After the hectic activity for the Kerala assembly polls Wednesday, many politicians too are happy with the Vishu break.
 
 While Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Thursday evening returned here from Alappuzha, leader of opposition Oommen Chandy is staying put at his residence in Kottayam and is expected to be here Saturday.