Tamil New Year 2021

Tamil New Year 2021: Puthandu date, history, importance & significance

Tamil New Year (Puthandu) 2021 Date: People in Tamil Nadu are preparing to celebrate Puthandu (Tamil for the new year) on April 14 this year. Established with the solar cycle of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is the first day of the traditional Tamil New Year and is a public holiday in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The new year begins with the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, Chittirai.

While Tamils ​​around the world celebrate Puthandu, many other communities in India celebrate their traditional New Year on the same day: it is Vishu for people in Kerala, Bihu for people in Assam, Baishakhi in Punjab and Pohela Boishakh in West Bengal. . In particular, states like Manipur, Tripura, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan also commemorate their New Years holidays on the same day.

The people of Tamil Nadu spend time with their families after cleaning the house, participating in prayers and starting the day by visiting the temples. They sit down to savor a generous assortment of delicious preparations in their best traditional clothes after paying their respects to the elders of the family.

It is common to find people saying ‘Puthandu Vazthukal’ to everyone on this day, which means Happy New Year.

People sing devotional songs and also pongal on this day and offer it in adoration. Mangai-Pachadi it is also prepared on this day.

A tray composed of three fruits – mango, jackfruit and banana – is prepared as an offering, money in the form of coins, gold or silver jewelery, a mirror, flowers, betel leaves and arecanut. Similar to tradition in Kerala, seeing this auspicious festive tray alongside idols of gods and goddesses when one wakes up is believed to be a harbinger of good luck and prosperity in the year to come.

Welcoming the positive vibes and blessings into the home, floor designs called ‘kolams’ are made with colored rice flour at the entrances.

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