Is the Malayalam new year Vishu or Chingam 1?

Both, in different senses. Chingam 1 in mid-August is the official start of the Malayalam calendar year, the Kollam era, and it's also Farmers' Day in Kerala. Vishu, on Medam 1 in April, is the astrological new year, when the Sun enters Aries. Vishu is the more celebrated of the two; Chingam 1 is the calendrical one.

Malayalam New Year (Chingam 1)

Malayalam

मलयालम नया साल · મલયાલમ નવું વર્ષ

2026

17 August 2026

Monday · Shukla Panchami

Tithi begins04:53 PM · 16 Aug

Tithi ends05:00 PM

Full panchang for this day

About

First day of Chingam month: Malayalam calendar New Year. Distinct from Vishu (astronomical new year in Medam).

Falls on: Chingam 1, mid-August. The first day of the Malayalam solar year, the Kollam Era (Kollavarsham), which began in 825 CE.
Also called: Chingam 1, Kollavarsham, Malayalam New Year, Chingam Onnu

The story

The Kollam era dates from the founding of Kollam. Chingam is the harvest month and its first day begins the agricultural year.

How it is observed

Temple visits, kani darshan in some households, and the year's first harvest brought in. Farmers' Day (Karshaka Dinam) is officially observed on it in Kerala.

Food

New rice from the first harvest; a sadya in some households.

Regional variation

Kerala and the Malayali diaspora.

Common questions

Is the Malayalam new year Vishu or Chingam 1?: Both, in different senses. Chingam 1 in mid-August is the official start of the Malayalam calendar year, the Kollam era, and it's also Farmers' Day in Kerala. Vishu, on Medam 1 in April, is the astrological new year, when the Sun enters Aries. Vishu is the more celebrated of the two; Chingam 1 is the calendrical one.

Malayalam New Year (Chingam 1) date in 2025 Malayalam New Year (Chingam 1) date in 2027