Tamil Puthandu (a.k.a Puthuvarusham/Varusha Pirappu or Tamil New Year, marks the beginning of the Dravidian New Year in the State of Tamil Nadu and is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai. It therefore almost always 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 in central and north India.
On this day, those of south Indian descent mainly Tamil speaking people greet each other by saying "Puttantu valttukkal!" or "Iniya puttantu nalvalttukkal!", which is equivalent to "Happy new year". The day is observed as 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 youngster go to elders to pay respects and seek their blessings, then the family come together and have a vegetarian feast. It is the day to give an auspicious start to the coming year by looking at all things nice and wonderful - fresh fruits, vegetables, clean rice and coconuts are kept in a decorated pile in front of the Deities. Tamilians feast on dishes like Vada and payasam (Kheer) and other savouries. The special dish of the day is 'mango Pachidi' made with neem flowers, jaggery, mango, green chilli, salt and tamarind juice representing the six major emotions that humans experience.
Puthandu is also celebrated by South Indians outside Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, such as in South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion, Mauritius and other countries with Tamil Diaspora.
Cultures, Rituals and Festive:-
On the eve of Puthandu, a tray arranged with three fruits (mango, banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and areca nut (flat brown betel nut), gold/silver jewelery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror. According to the Tamil tradition, this festive tray is auspicious as the first sight upon waking on the new year day.
The Tamil Hindus attach much importance to Varushapirappu or Tamil Puthandu.
• The houses will be cleaned and white washed. On Tamil New year day the front court yard of the houses will be adorned with Rangoli kolam. • Mango leaf festoons will be tied over the front entry doors. Before night womenfolk will arrange fruits, coconuts, betel leaves, nuts, flower, coins or currency notes, gold jewels in a large plate and will be kept in a common place. Oil lamp will be lit. • Viewing the fruit as soon as you woke up in the morning is considered as auspicious, and it is known as ‘Kani kanal’. • Elders and other members will have bath and wear new dresses. In some specific families darpanam (holy prayer in remembrance of departed souls) will be offered. Family members prostrate before the elders and seek their blessings.
Origin and significance
A traditional arrangement of festive foods for Puthandu.
The Tamil New Year follows the spring equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. The day celebrates the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The same date is observed as the traditional new year in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan 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.
The home entrances are decorated elaborately with colored rice powder and these designs are called kolams. Tamil speaking Hindus decorate their homes with various auspicious colorful geometric designs from rice powder called Kolam (above).
Tamil New Year Recipes
Maanga Pachadi or raw mango pachadi is a must in the New Year’s menu. It is a sweet, sour and bitter dish made with raw mangoes, jaggery and neem flowers. Given below is a list of dishes prepared on that day (Tamil New Year festival menu)
• Rice • Sambar • Payasam (Sweet rice/Kheer) • Cabbage curry or plantian curry or any vegetable curry • Cucumber Pachadi • Maanga Pachadi (Raw mango pachadi – a must for Tamil New Year) • Appalam (papad, papar, pampad) • Vadai or paruppu vada • Poli • Curd rice
Related festivals The Puthandu new year day is celebrated elsewhere but called by other names. For example, it is called Vaisakhi by Hindus and Sikhs in north and central India, which too marks the solar new year. Some examples include:
1. Vishu in Kerala 2. Ugadi in Andhra pradesh and Telangana 3. Vaisakhi in central and north India 4. Vishuva Sankranti in Odisha 5. Pohela Boishakh in West Bengal and Tripura, as well as Bangladesh 6. Rongali Bihu in Assam 7. Bikram Samwat / Vaishak Ek in Nepal
The focus is on prosperity throughout the year, and a prayer of thanks to the Celestials is always recommended on this day. So should you like to perform a puja on this day then Dipika has a D.I.Y Puja and havan and the link to these two articles is below… Kindly click on the following link and follow the step by step guide to this puja
D.I.Y Puja and Havan Proper – For all occasions
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