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Puthandu (Tamil: தமிழ்ப்புத்தாண்டு), also known as Puthuvarudam or Thamil New Year, is the first day of year on the Thamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the Thamil month Chithirai. It therefore falls on or about 14 April every year on the Gregorian calendar. The same day is observed by Hindus elsewhere as the traditional new year, but is known by other names such as Vishu in Kerala, and Vaisakhi or Baisakhi in Central and Northern India.

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On this day, Thamil people greet each other by saying “Puthāaṇdu vāazhthugal!” (புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்) or “Iṉiya puthaandu nalvāazhthugal!” (இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்), which is equivalent to “Happy new year”. 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 family Puja 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.

Puthandu is also celebrated by Thamil Hindus outside Thamil Nadu and Puducherry, such as in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion, Mauritius and other countries with Thamil diaspora.

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Origin and significance

The Thamil New Year follows the spring equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. The day celebrates on the first day of the traditional Thamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Thamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The same date is observed as the traditional new year in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka also celebrate the same day as their new year, likely an influence of the shared culture between South and Southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE.

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There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year. Nakkirar, Sangam period author of the Neṭunalvāṭai, wrote that the sun travels from Mesha/Chitterai through 11 successive signs of the zodiac. Kūdalūr Kizhaar refers to Mesha Raasi/Chitterai as the commencement of the year in the Puṟanāṉūṟu. The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Thamil grammar that divides the year into six seasons where Chitterai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer. The Silappadikaaram mentions the 12 Raasis or zodiac signs starting with Mesha/Chitterai. The Manimekalai 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 Thamil calendar with particular reference to Chitterai. 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.

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Rituals

People of Thamil Nadu celebrate Puthandu Pirappu by following specific traditions and rituals. Early in the morning, womenfolk adorn the entrance of their house with colorful Kolam patterns. Centre of the Kolam is decorated with a lamp called kuthuvillakku in a belief that it would dispel darkness. It is also customary for people in Thamil Nadu to pay visit to temple and invoke divine blessings for the coming year.

A popular custom of Puthandu is ‘kanni’ which means the auspicious sight. Following the ritual, people start the Puthandu day by watching auspicious things like gold and silver jewellery, betel leaves, nuts, fruits and vegetables, flowers, raw rice and coconuts. This is done under the belief that a good start to New Year will ensure prosperity and happiness in the coming year. A bath and a visit to the temple usually follow Kanni. After this people read the Panchangam (almanac).

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Celebrations

Thamil people celebrate Puthandu, also called Puthuvarusham, as the traditional “Thamil/Hindu New Year”, states Peter Reeves. This is the month of Chittirai, the first month of the Thamil solar calendar, and Puthandu typically falls on 14 April. In some parts of Southern Tamil Nadu, the festival is called Chittirai Vishu. On the eve of Puthandu, a tray arranged with three fruits (mango, banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and arecanut, gold/silver jewellery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror. This is similar to the Vishu new year festival ceremonial tray in Kerala. According to the Thamil tradition, this festive tray is auspicious as the first sight upon waking on the new year day. Home entrances are decorated elaborately with colored rice powder. These designs are called kolams.

In the temple city of Madurai, the Chitterai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chitterai Porutkaatchi. On the day of the Thamil New Year, a big Car Festival is held at Thiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam. Festivals are also held at Thiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and other places.

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Sri Lankan Thamils 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 Thamil north and east of the island while cart races are also held. The festive Puthandu season in April is a time for family visits and the renewal of filial bonds. It coincides with the Sinhalese new year season.

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Later in the day, families enjoy a feast. A special dish called Mangai-pachadi is prepared from a variety of flavors, similar to pacchadi of new year foods of Ugaadi and Vishu. It is made from sweet jaggery, astringent mustard, sour raw mango, bitter neem, and red chilies. These complex dish is ritually tasted by Thamils, as similar multi-flavors are by Hindus elsewhere on the new year. Such traditional festive recipes, that combine different flavors, are a symbolic reminder that one must expect all flavors of experiences in the coming new year, that no event or episode is wholly sweet or bitter, experiences are transitory and ephemeral, and to make the most from them.

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In Malaysia and Singapore, Thamils 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 Thamil community centers and Gurdwaras. Cultural programs and media events also take place. It’s a day of celebration for the Indian community.

Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka

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 culture in the 1st millennium CE.

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According to a 1957 publication by Gunasegaram, the new year celebrated in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Champa (Vietnam) is the Thamil New Year with roots in the practices of Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley Civilisation). According to Nanacuriyan, this may be from the medieval era Thamil influence in Southeast Asia.

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According to Jean Michaud and other scholars, the new year celebration traditions in Southeast Asian Massif have two roots. One is China, and this influence is found for example in Vietnam and southeastern China. These Sino-influenced communities celebrate 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, Tai speakers of Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam and southern Yunnan. 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 (like Holi), drinking alcohol, as well as later wearing jewelry, new clothes and socialising. The new year festival is called regionally by different names:

Aluth Avuruthu in Sri Lanka (Sinhalese New Year).
Chol Chnam Thmey in Cambodia
Songkan / Pi Mai Lao in Laos
Songkran in Thailand
Thingyan in Burma

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Similar Lunar New Year in Other Regions on March / April:

Ugaadi, Gudi Padwa, Yugaadi, Samvatsar Padvo, Navreh, Navrathra, Cheiraoba and Chaithra Navrathri

Similar Fixed Solar New Year in Other Regions on 13th / 14th / 15th April:

Vaisakhi, Vishu, Maha Vishuva / Pani Sankraanthi, Pahela Baishakh and Bihu

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