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Puthandu (Tamil: புத்தாண்டு), or better known as Tamil New Year or Chithirai Tiru-naal, is the celebration of the first day of the Tamil new year in mid-April by Tamils in Tamil Nadu, in Pondicherry in India, in Sri Lanka and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion Island and Mauritius. On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puthandu Vazthukal" ( புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துகள் ) or "Iniya Tamizh Puthandu Nalvaazhthukkal" (இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்).^[1] The festive occasion is in keeping with the Hindu solar calendar.

Origin and significance[link]

The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayanam vernal equinox and generally falls either on 13 or 14 April of the Gregorian year. 13 or 14 April marks the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Tropical vernal equinox fall around 22 March, and adding 23 degrees of trepidation or oscillation to it, we get the Hindu sidereal or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (Sun's transition into Nirayana Aries).

Hence, the Tamil calendar begins on the same date observed by most traditional calendars in India as in Assam, Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Mithila, Orissa, Punjab, Tripura etc. not to mention Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The 60-year cycle is ancient and is observed by most traditional calendars of India and China, and is related to 5 revolutions of Jupiter, or to 60-year orbit of Nakshatras (stars) as described in the Surya Siddhanta.

The traditional Tamil year starts on 13 April 2012, Kaliyuga 5114. Vikrama and Shalivahana Saka eras are also used. There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year. Nakkirar, the author of the Nedunalvaadai writes in the 3rd century that the Sun travels from Mesha/Chitterai through 11 successive Raasis or signs of the zodiac.^[2] Kūdalūr Kizhaar in the 3rd century refers to Mesha Raasi/Chitterai as the commencement of the year in the Puranaanooru.^[3][4] The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar that divides the year into six seasons where Chitterai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer. The 8th century Silappadikaaram mentions the 12 Raasis or zodiac signs starting with Mesha/Chitterai.^[5] The Manimekalai alludes to the Hindu solar calendar as we know it today. Adiyarkunalaar, an early medieval commentator or Urai-asiriyar mentions the 12 months of the Tamil 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.^[6]

Celebration[link]

Tamil people celebrate Tamil new year either on 13 or 14 April. Every year in the month of Chitterai (the first month of the Tamil solar calendar in April), in the temple city of Madurai, the Chitterai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chitterai Porutkaatchi. In some parts of Southern Tamil Nadu, it is called Chitterai Vishu. The day is marked with a feast in Tamil homes and entrances to the houses are decorated elaborately with kolams. In most parts of India, one can see neem trees blooming with their flowers and the first batch of mangoes hanging prominently. This day is celebrated by some communities with neem flowers and raw mangoes to symbolize growth and prosperity.

On the day of Tamil New Year, a big Car Festival is held at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam. Festivals are also held at Tiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and many other places.

Sri Lankan Tamils observe the traditional new year in April with the first financial transaction known as the 'Kai-vishesham' where elders gift money to the unmarried young, particularly children as a token of good luck. The event is also observed with the 'arpudu' or the first ploughing of the ground to prepare for the new agricultural cycle. The 'punya-kaalam' or auspicious time when the sun reportedly shifts from Meena raasi to Mesha raasi is considered ideal to commence new activities on a favorable note. Sri Lankan Tamils begin the year with a herbal bath with 'maruthu-neer' with ingredients for good health. The game of 'por-thenkai' or coconut wars between youth is played in villages through the Tamil north and east of the island while cart races are also held.^[7] 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.^[8]

Controversy[link]

The previous DMK-led Government of Tamil Nadu had declared in 2008 that the Tamil new year should be celebrated on the first day of Tamil month of Thai (14 January) coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal. The Tamil Nadu New Year (Declaration Bill 2008) was introduced in the House by the Tamil Nadu Government on 29 January 2008.^[9] This bill of the DMK Administration was subsequently rescinded by a separate act of legislation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on 23 August 2011.^{[10][11][12][13]}

The earlier legislative enactment of the DMK government was not without controversy .^[14] The resolution was met with resistance.^[15][16][17] It was challenged in court.^[18][19] The opposition AIADMK and MDMK in Tamil Nadu subsequently condemned the decision of the DMK Government in that state and urged their supporters to continue celebrating the traditional date in mid-April.^[20] Tamils in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada continued to observe the new year in mid-April.^{[21][22][23][24][25]} Many in Tamil Nadu continued the celebration of the new year in mid-April.^[26][27] The Governor and Chief Minister of the Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry, which has an ethnic Tamil majority, felicitated the public for the Tamil new year in April 2010.^[28] The previous state government in Tamil Nadu in an effort to accommodate popular sentiment conceded the celebration of the April new year with a new term called “Chithirai Tirunal” (the festival of Chithirai). The day remained a public holiday in Tamil Nadu albeit purportedly to commemmorate B.R. Ambedkar, India's veteran scheduled caste leader. All television channels in Tamil Nadu continued to telecast festive “Chithirai Tirunal Special Programs” on 14 April 2010. The leader of the AIADMK, Jayalalitha felicitated the people on the traditional Tamil New Year. The MDMK leader Vaiko, followed suit.^[29] Press reports indicated that the people in Tamil Nadu celebrated the Tamil New Year with enthusiasm and thronged the temples in thousands. There are others who highlight the absence of historical and literary evidence for the change in new year.^[30] The 2008 legislation of the previous DMK-led administration has since been annulled by an act of the Tamil Nadu Assembly in August, 2011.^[31]

Tiruvalluvar Era[link]

The 2006–2011 Government in Tamil Nadu also introduced the Tiruvalluvar era that begins with the purported birth of the Tamil literary figure Tiruvalluvar in the year 31 BCE. The literary evidence however may not indicate an early date for Tiruvalluvar. The syntax and grammar may indicate a subsequent date. Renowned Tamil Scholar Vaiyapuri Pillai was of the view that Tiruvalluvar lived around 600 CE, based on the internal evidence of his work and the significant influence of Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali works in the Tirukkural.^[32] While not all may agree with Vaiyapuri Pillai's textual criticism and dating, several question the Tiruvalluvar era on the issue of its date.^[33] However, the Government of J. Jayalalitha reverted the celebration of Puthandu to the original date of fourteenth of April.^[12]

See also[link]

1. Sinhalese New Year Officially Sinhalese and Tamil new Year, Sri Lanka
2. Songkran – Thai New Year is celebrated on the same day as well. (Chola Dynasty ruled Thai during Rajendra Chola I's reign 1012 C.E. – 1044 C.E)
3. Pohela Boishakh – Bengali New Year (India's West Bengal and Tripura state and Bangladesh)
4. Assamese New Year or Rongali Bihu (India's Assam state)
5. Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India's Kerala state)
6. Nepali New Year, or Bikram Samwat / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
7. Vishuva Sankranti-Oriya New Year (India's Orissa state)

References[link]

v t e Festivals in the Hindu calendar Major festivals Pongal Makar Sankranti Holi Rama Navami Krishna Janmashtami Maha Shivaratri Onam Ganesh Chaturthi Navratri (Mysore Dasara – Durga Puja – Vijayadashami) Diwali (Bhau-Beej) Chhath Vat Purnima Thaipusam Regional New Year Gudi Padwa (Marathi, Konkani) Ugadi (Telugu, Kannada) Cheti Chand (Sindhi) Bihu (Assamese) Bisu (Tuluva) Vaisakhi (Punjabi) Vishuva Sankranti (Oriya) Pohela Boishakh (Bengali) Puthandu (Tamil) Vishu (Malayalee) Holy days Ekadashi Gowri Habba Karwa Chauth Mahalakshmi Vrata Raksha Bandhan Sankranti Savitri Brata Thaipusam Holy periods Chaturmas Dhanurmas