Puthandu (Tamil New Year)

Tamil

पुथांडु (तमिल नया साल) · પુથાંડુ (તમિલ નવું વર્ષ)

Next date

14 April 2027

Wednesday

Full panchang for this day

About

Tamil New Year. The first day of Chithirai month. Traditional feast and viewing auspicious items (Kanni).

Falls on: Chithirai 1, Mesha Sankranti, ~14 April. A solar date, so it barely moves.
Also called: Varusha Pirappu, Puthuvarusham, Chithirai Vishu (southern Tamil Nadu), Sauramana Ugadi

The story

The Sun enters Mesha and the solar year begins. Brahma is said to have begun creation on this day.

How it is observed

The kani, a tray arranged the night before with three fruits (mango, banana, jackfruit), betel leaves and areca nut, gold or silver, coins, flowers and a mirror, to be the first thing seen on waking. Kolam at the doorway. The year's panchangam is read aloud at temples, forecasting the year. At Madurai, the Chithirai Thiruvizha at the Meenakshi temple.

Food

Mango pachadi, the signature dish, combining sweet, sour, bitter and pungent, so that the year is met in all its flavours. Also vadai, payasam, and a full sadya.

Regional variation

Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and South Africa. Shares the date and the "first sight" ritual with Kerala's Vishu, and the same astronomical basis, but the arrangements, food and customs differ.

Common questions

Are Puthandu and Vishu the same?: Same day and same astronomical event, the Sun entering Aries around 14 April, and both have a "first sight" ritual. But they're different festivals: Puthandu is the Tamil New Year with the kani tray and mango pachadi, Vishu is Kerala's with the Vishukkani and its own customs. Confusingly, in parts of southern Tamil Nadu Puthandu is itself called "Chithirai Vishu," which is where a lot of the mix-up comes from.
Is Vishu on the same day as Puthandu?: Usually the same day, mid-April, but sometimes a day later, Vishu shifts to the next day if the Sun's entry into Aries happens after dawn. Kerala's version centres on the Vishukkani, an arrangement of rice, golden konna flowers, gold and a mirror that you see first thing on waking, and on elders giving coins to children.

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How it is observed

Common questions

Are Puthandu and Vishu the same?

Same day and same astronomical event, the Sun entering Aries around 14 April, and both have a "first sight" ritual. But they're different festivals: Puthandu is the Tamil New Year with the kani tray and mango pachadi, Vishu is Kerala's with the Vishukkani and its own customs. Confusingly, in parts of southern Tamil Nadu Puthandu is itself called "Chithirai Vishu," which is where a lot of the mix-up comes from.

Is Vishu on the same day as Puthandu?

Usually the same day, mid-April, but sometimes a day later, Vishu shifts to the next day if the Sun's entry into Aries happens after dawn. Kerala's version centres on the Vishukkani, an arrangement of rice, golden konna flowers, gold and a mirror that you see first thing on waking, and on elders giving coins to children.