The day opens with vishukkani — the first sight arranged the night before: rice, fruit, flowers, gold, and a mirror, believed to shape the fortune of the year ahead.
केरल
Some tellings tie the day to Krishna's slaying of the demon Narakasura — echoing the Naraka Chaturdashi story observed elsewhere in autumn, a rare case of the same legend anchoring festivals six months apart.
Elders gift children vishukkaineetam, small sums of money, after the vishukkani viewing at dawn. Firecrackers and a full family feast, sadya, round out the day.