Puthandu 2023: Date, Significance, Traditions And Celebrations Of Tamil New Year

Puthandu marks the beginning of the new year, as per the Tamil calendar. Here's all you need to know about the date, history and celebration of the Tamil New Year.

Puthandu 2023: Date, Significance, Traditions And Celebrations Of Tamil New Year

Tamil New Year: Puthandu is a significant festival in Tamil Nadu, marked with great enthusiasm and excitement by all Tamil people. This celebration is held on the first day of Chitterai, the Tamil month that serves as the new year. According to the Tamil calendar, the Sankranti is commemorated as New Year's Day if it happens between dawn and sunset; however, if it occurs after sunset, Puthandu is marked the next day.

In some regions of Tamil Nadu, a unique dish called "Mangai Pachadi" is made in Puthandu. It is thought that eating this delicacy on Puthandu will bring harmony and balance to your life. This dish includes a blend of flavours, including sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, which represent the various emotions one experiences in life.

On this auspicious day, it is believed that Lord Brahma began the creation of the cosmos and that Lord Indra came to Earth to ensure harmony and peace. As a result, the day has a special significance all of its own.

Puthandu 2023: Date

Puthandu will be celebrated on April 14 this year. According to the Gregorian calendar, Puthandu occurs almost every year on the same day. 

Puthandu 2023: Significance

Puthandu festivities kick off the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, Chithirai. In Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, this day is marked as a public holiday. On this day, other states also celebrate the new year. On this day, Kerala celebrates Vishu, Punjab celebrates Baisakhi, Assan celebrates Bihu and West Bengal celebrates Poyla Boishakh.

Puthandu 2023: Rituals and Traditions

Puthandu, also known as Varsha Pirappu, is celebrated with a great deal of grandeur and spectacle by Tamilians across the country. To celebrate the new year with their loved ones, people decorate their homes and prepare Pongal. Some people go to the temple in the morning. The "Kanni," or the first glimpse of the year, is one of the primary traditions related to Puthandu. The first thing someone sees on Puthandu morning is said to set the tone for the rest of the year. To symbolise good fortune, Tamils typically get up early on Puthandu, take a bath, and then look at auspicious objects like gold, silver, fruits, flowers, and mirrors for good luck.

Puthandu 2023: How to Celebrate

Making kolams- coloured rice flour designs for the house entry marks the beginning of the day's festivities. Families prepare put hands-specific foods like Pongal and mango pachadi, and some individuals even sing religious songs to welcome wealth and happiness into their homes.

In order to celebrate the new year with their loved ones, people decorate their homes and prepare Pongal. Many eagerly await spending the day with their families, friends, and loved ones. They gather in their finest traditional clothing to enjoy the delicious Puthandu-special feast with their loved ones.

Together with vada, sambhar, sadam (rice), payasam, appalam (papad), vegetable curry, fresh mango pickle and curd, the mouthwatering Puthandu spread also has mango pachadi and Pongal. Puthandu Nalvalthukal, which translates to "Happy New Year" in English, is the greeting used by Tamilians to show respect for the elders in the family.

(This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.)