Watch: People slap each other as part of Kerala's Vishu festival

Thousand of people gathered and carried two persons on their shoulders to kickstart the slapping festival at Kerala's Kannur on Tuesday. This slapping festival is held as part of the Vishu Festival at the Mavilakkavu temple. Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, in the Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka, Mahe district of Pondicherry, and some districts in Tamil Nadu. Vishu is celebrated and observed to mark the first day of the Medam, the ninth month according to the Malayalam calendar. Vishu is declared a regional holiday in Kerala.