| Puthandu Tamil New Year | |
|---|---|
 Tamil New Year decorations for Puthandu | |
| Official name | Puthandu |
| Observed by | Tamils inIndia,Sri Lanka,Mauritius,Reunion,Malaysia,Singapore,South Africa[1] |
| Type | Cultural, Social, Religious |
| Significance | Tamil New Year |
| Celebrations | Feasting, gift-giving, visiting homes and temples, Kani tray |
| Date | First day of Chithirai in theTamil calendar |
| 2025 date | 14 April[2][3] |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | South and Southeast Asian solar New Year,Vishu,Sinhalese New Year |
| Part ofa series on |
| Tamils |
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Puthandu (Tamil:புத்தாண்டு,romanized: Puttāṇṭu,lit. 'new year'), also known asTamil New Year (Tamil:வருடப்பிறப்பு,romanized: Varusappiṟappu,lit. 'birth of year'), is the first day of year on theTamil calendar that is traditionally celebrated as a festival byTamils. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the solarHindu calendar, as the first day of the month ofChittirai. It falls on or about 14 April every year on theGregorian calendar.[1] Thesame day is observed elsewhere in South and South East Asia as the traditional new year, but it is known by other names such asVishu in Kerala,Bisu Parba inTulunadu, andVaisakhi or Baisakhi in central and northern India.[1]
On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puttāṇṭu vāḻttukaḷ!" (புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துகள்) or "Iṉiya puttāṇṭu nalvāḻttukaḷ!" (இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துகள்), which is equivalent to "Happy new year".[4] The day is observed as a family time. Households clean up the house, prepare a tray with fruits, flowers and auspicious items, light up the familypuja altar and visit their local temples. People wear new clothes and children go to elders to pay their respects and seek their blessings, then the family sits down to a vegetarian feast.[5]
Puthandu is celebrated byTamils inTamil Nadu andPuducherry, and inSri Lanka,Malaysia,Singapore,Mauritius andReunion. TheTamil diaspora also celebrates it[1][6] in countries such asMyanmar,South Africa,United Kingdom,United States,Canada, andAustralia.
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The Tamil New Year follows thespring equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year.[1] The day celebrates on the first day of the traditionalTamil calendar and is apublic holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The same date is observed as the traditional new year inAssam,West Bengal,Kerala,Tripura,Bihar,Odisha,Punjab,Himachal Pradesh,Haryana, as well as inNepal andBangladesh.Myanmar,Cambodia,Laos,Thailand, andSri Lanka also celebrate the same day as their new year,[7] likely an influence of the shared culture between South and Southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE.[8]
There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year. Nakkirar,Sangam period author of theNeṭunalvāṭai, wrote that the sun travels from Mesha/Chittirai through 11 successive signs of the zodiac.[9][10] Kūdalūr Kiḻār refers to Mesha Raasi/Chittirai as the commencement of the year in thePuṟanāṉūṟu.[11][12][13] The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar that divides the year into six seasons where Chittirai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer.[14] The Silappadikaaram mentions the 12 Raasis or zodiac signs starting with Mesha/Chittirai.[15] TheManimekalai alludes to the Hindu solar calendar as we know it today. Adiyarkunalaar, an early medieval commentator or Urai-asiriyar mentions the twelve months of the Tamil calendar with particular reference to Chittirai. There were subsequent inscriptional references in Pagan, Burma dated to the 11th century CE and in Sukhothai, Thailand dated to the 14th century CE to South Indian, often Vaishnavite, courtiers who were tasked with defining the traditional calendar that began in mid-April.[16]
Tamil people celebrate Puthandu, also called Puthuvarusham, as the traditional "Tamil/New Year", states Peter Reeves.[6] This is the month of Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, and Puthandu typically falls on 14 April.[17] In some parts of SouthernTamil Nadu, the festival is called ChittiraiVishu. On the eve of Puthandu, a tray is arranged with three fruits (mango, banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and arecanut, gold/silver jewellery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror.[18] This is similar to theVishu new year festival ceremonial tray in Kerala. According to the Tamil tradition, this festive tray is auspicious as the first sight upon waking on the new year day.[17] Home entrances are decorated elaborately with colored rice powder. These designs are calledkolams.[19]
In the temple city ofMadurai, theChittirai Thiruvilha is celebrated in theMeenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chittirai Porutkaatchi.[17] On the day of the Tamil New Year, a bigCar Festival is held atTiruvidaimarudur nearKumbakonam. Festivals are also held atTiruchirapalli,Kanchipuram and other places.[17]
Chithiraikani, also known asVishukani, is an important part of the Puthandu celebrations in theKongu Nadu region, which share similarities withVishu celebrations inKerala andTulu Nadu.
ThisChithiraikani practice involves arrangement of a special tray containing auspicious items that are displayed in front of a mirror. The word "kani" inKongu Tamil andMalayalam means "that which is seen first," and both celebrations involve arranging a special tray of auspicious items that are displayed in front of a mirror. The traditional belief is that viewing joyful and auspicious things first on the new year day brings prosperity and good luck.
TheChithiraikani orVishukani tray typically includes three fruits (mango, banana, and jackfruit), betel leaves, rice, lemon, cucumber, coconut cut open, arecanut, gold or silver jewelry, coins or money, flowers, and a mirror, among other things that symbolize wealth and prosperity. This arrangement is similar to the Vishu celebrations that take place in Kerala. In some parts of Kerala, theVishukkani tray also includes Aranmula kannadi (Vaalkannadi), golden color Konna flowers (Cassia fistula) which bloom in the season ofVishu, gold or silver jewelry, coins or money, flowers, and a mirror. The mirror symbolizes seeing oneself as a part of the abundance one sees in the form of Pani.[20][21][22]
The day before theChithiraikani orVishukkani celebrations, people prepare the tray of auspicious items. On the new year day, elders light lamps and wake up juniors in the family. As soon as they wake up, they walk to the kani with their eyes closed and see it as the first scene of the year. This tradition is significant in both regions and is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.[23]
Sri Lankan Tamils observe the traditional new year in April with the first financial transaction known as the Kai-vishesham. In this transaction children go to elders to pay their respect, and elders give their blessings and gift pocket money to the children in return. The event is also observed with the 'arpudu' or the first ploughing of the ground to prepare for the new agricultural cycle. The game of 'por-thenkai' or coconut wars between youth is played in villages through the Tamil north and east of the island while cart races are also held.[24] The festive Puthandu season in April is a time for family reunion and the renewal of filial bonds.[25] It coincides with the Sinhalese new year season.[26]
Later in the day, families enjoy a feast.[18]
InMalaysia andSingapore,Tamils join Sikhs, Malayalees and Bengalis to celebrate the traditional new year in mid-April with leaders across the political spectrum wishing the ethnic Indian community for the new year. Special religious events are held in Hindu temples, in Tamil community centers and Gurdwaras. Cultural programs and media events also take place. It's a day of celebration for the Indian community.[27][28][29][30][31]
TheDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Government of Tamil Nadu had declared in 2008 that the Tamil new year should be celebrated on the first day of Tamil month of Thai (14 January) coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal. The Tamil Nadu New Year (Declaration Bill 2008) was enacted as the state law by the DMK assembly members and its Tamil Nadu Government on 29 January 2008.[32] This law of the DMK majority-led government was subsequently rescinded by a separate act of legislation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with an AIADMK majority-led government on 23 August 2011.[33][34][35] Many in Tamil Nadu ignored the DMK government legislation that rescheduled the festival date, and continued the celebration of their traditional Puthandu new year festival in mid-April.[36][37] The Governor and Chief Minister of the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry, which has an ethnic Tamil majority, felicitated the public for the Tamil new year in April 2010.[38]
The legislative reach to change the traditional religious new year by the DMK government was questioned by Hindu priests and Tamil scholars.[39][40] The law was met with resistance by Tamils in the state and elsewhere.[41][42][43] It was also challenged in court.[44][45] The then oppositionAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) andMarumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) in Tamil Nadu subsequently condemned the decision of the DMK Government in that state and urged their supporters to continue celebrating the traditional date in mid-April.[46] Tamils in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada continued to observe the new year in mid-April.[47][48][49][50]
The previous state government in Tamil Nadu in an effort to placate popular sentiment announced that the same day will be celebrated as a new festival renamed as "Chittirai Tirunal" (the festival of Chittirai). The day remained a public holiday in Tamil Nadu under the DMK government, but not as Tamil new year, but purportedly to commemorateDr. B.R Ambedkar, who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee ofIndian Constitution. All television channels in Tamil Nadu, including the pro-DMK Sun TV, continued to telecast festive "Chittirai Tirunal Special Programs" on 14 April 2010. The leader of the AIADMK, Jayalalitha refused to recognize the repackaged festival, and felicitated the Tamil people for the traditional Tamil New Year. The MDMK leader Vaiko, followed suit.[51] The controversy between the two dates subsided, the official celebrations during the traditional new year in April revived and the public holiday was restored as the Tamil New Year.[52][53][54][55]
Puthandu is celebrated elsewhere in India under different names commemorating the solar new year.[56][57][8] Some examples include:
However, this is not the universal new year for all Hindus. Lunar New Year celebrations inKarnataka,Andhra Pradesh andTelangana'sUgadi &Maharashtra andGoa'sGudi Padwa, fall a few days before Puthandu.[8] For those in Gujarat, the new year festivities coincide with the five-dayDiwali festival.
The same day every year is the new year for many Buddhist communities in parts of Southeast Asia such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, likely an influence of their shared Indic culture in the 1st millennium CE.[8]
According to a 1957 publication by Gunasegaram, the new year celebrated inSri Lanka,Cambodia andChampa (Vietnam) is the Tamil New Year with roots in the practices of Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley civilization).[58][59] According to Nanacuriyan, this may be from the medieval era Tamil influence in Southeast Asia.[60]
According to Jean Michaud and other scholars, the new year celebration traditions inSoutheast Asian Massif have two roots.[61] One is China, and this influence is found for example in Vietnam. This Sino-influenced community celebrates the new year in the first or second lunar month after the winter solstice in December. The second group of people in the Massif celebrate the new year in mid April, much like most of India. This group consists of northeastern Indians, northeastern Myanmar, the Khmer in Cambodia, Tai speakers of Thailand,Laos, northern Vietnam and southernYunnan.[61] The festival is celebrated in the Massif in some ways unlike Puthandu. It is marked by an occasion to visit family and friends, splashing others with water (likeHoli), drinking alcohol, as well as later wearing jewelry, new clothes and socializing.[61] The new year festival is called regionally by different names:
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