Tamil New Year (Puthandu) 2027 पुथांडु (तमिल नववर्ष)

Why Tamil New Year (Puthandu) is celebrated

Puthandu, also called Varusha Pirappu, is the first day of the Tamil year. The Tamil calendar is solar, and its year begins when the Sun enters Mesha, the first sign of the zodiac. This usually happens on 14 April, which is why the date barely changes from year to year.

For Tamil families everywhere, the day is a fresh start. People believe that what they see and do on the first morning sets the tone for the year. So homes are cleaned, debts are settled where possible, and the day begins with auspicious sights, prayers and good food. The festival also honours the link between the seasons, farming and the sky, which runs through Tamil culture.

History and story of Tamil New Year (Puthandu)

Tamil astronomers have long counted the year from the Sun's entry into Mesha, and the first month of Chithirai has been seen as the start of a new cycle for centuries. Temple records and almanacs in Tamil Nadu have followed this reckoning for generations.

The date has also had a political chapter. In 2008, the Tamil Nadu government declared the first day of Thai, in mid January, as the Tamil New Year. In 2011 a new government restored the first day of Chithirai. Most Tamil households continued to celebrate Puthandu in April throughout.

How Tamil New Year (Puthandu) is celebrated

On the night before, the women of the house arrange a kanni tray in the puja room. It holds the three fruits of mango, banana and jackfruit, along with betel leaves, areca nuts, coins, gold jewellery, flowers and a mirror. On the morning of Puthandu, family members open their eyes to this tray as the first sight of the year.

After an oil bath, everyone wears new clothes. A colourful kolam is drawn at the entrance with rice flour, and a lamp is lit. Families visit temples, and elders read the new panchangam, the almanac that gives the predictions and festival dates for the year ahead. Younger members seek the blessings of elders and receive gifts or money.

The festive lunch includes mango pachadi, made with raw mango, jaggery, neem flowers, tamarind, chilli and salt. Its sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty tastes remind people that life brings joy and sorrow together. Vadai, payasam and rice dishes complete the meal.

Tamil New Year (Puthandu) across India

The same day marks the new year or a spring festival in many parts of India: Vishu in Kerala, Baisakhi in Punjab, Pohela Boishakh in Bengal, Bohag Bihu in Assam and Pana Sankranti in Odisha. In Uttarakhand, Mesha Sankranti is known as Bikhauti or Bishu, when devotees take a holy dip in the Ganga at Haridwar and fairs are held in Kumaon, such as the Syalde Bikhauti fair at Dwarahat. Tamil families in Dehradun mark Puthandu at home with the kanni and visit local South Indian temples.