Tamil new year or தமிழ்ப் புத்தாண்டு is an auspicious day that marks the commencement of a new beginning, adventures, and endeavors in every aspect of life with new aspirations and hopes. This day stands as the starting point of a whole new year, which is welcomed with joy and prosperity. It includes the gatherings of family, friends, relatives, and our community together, a best divine day for prayers and worship.
This is a festival to be celebrated by all Tamil people with full enthusiasm, happiness, and love to be spread everywhere with the positive belief representing that the good days are coming ahead.
WHEN IS TAMIL NEW YEAR CELEBRATED?
The first day of the year as per the Tamil calendar is traditionally celebrated according to the lunisolar day that falls on the 14th of April 2023, on the first Tamil month of Chithirai.
It is calculated as per the Tamil solar calendar that when the Sankranthi day lies after sunrise and before sunset, then that day is considered as Tamil puthandu, if in case the Sankranthi day lies after the sunset then the next day is celebrated as Tamil puthandu. According to Vedic customs and traditions, the new year begins when the sun enters the first zodiac sign of Astrology, Mesha Raasi ( Aries) represents the date indicating the moon phase and the time of solar year.
Worshipping Methods / Mantras for Tamil New Year:
Gayathri Mantra:
“Om bhur bhuvah svah, thath savitur varenyam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat”
Benefits of Worshipping Surya Bhagavan on Tamil New Year:
The sun reaches the peak of its strength and power during this day. Hence Chanting Gayatri Mantra on this day by meditating on Lord Surya Bhagavan is considered very powerful and it will provide immense blessings and benefits. After this day the sun moves towards the north.
Surya Gayathri Mantra:
“Om aswathvajaaya vidhmahe paasa hasthaaya dheemahi
Thanno soorya prachodhayat”
“Om bhaskaraya vidhmahe, dhivakaraaya dheemahi
Thanno sooryah prachodhayat”
Benefits of Worshipping Ganesha on Tamil New Year:
Lord Ganesha is considered as the Hindu god of Beginning and the one who is worshipped in Hindu tradition before starting any new endeavor is the main worship God of this Tamil new year. By worshipping Lord Ganesha the remover or destroyer of obstacles will provide us the benefits of prosperity, good fortune, knowledge, wisdom, and success in every aspect we undertake in life.
Ganesha gayathri mantra:
“Om ekadantaya viddhmahe, Vakratundaya dhimahi,
Thanno Dhanthi prachodayath”
Benefits of Worshipping Lakshmi on Tamil New Year:
- Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on this day of the Tamil new year. As she is the goddess of wealth, worshipping her on this auspicious day is believed to be prosperous with material gain, fortune, longevity, and good health.
Lakshmi gayathri mantra:
“Om shree mahalshmyai cha vidmahe
Vishnu patnyai cha dheemahi
Tanno lakshmi prachodayath”
Tamil New year in Others Culture:
This is also known as Tamil new year, Varsha pirappu, Tamil puthandu, chithirai kani, chithirai kani kanudhal, chithirai thirunaal, and also in various other names in Tamil tradition.
This auspicious day is also observed to be celebrated as a traditional new year in various other places like Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Kerala, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Srilanka and other places where our kind of people resides. This new year festival is called in different names in different regions where people celebrate it in their unique way according to their customs and traditions for several centuries.
- Vishu – Kerala
- Vaisakhi/ Baishaki- Central and North India
- Pohela Sankranti- Odisha
- Pohela Boishakh – West Bengal, Tripura, Bangladesh
- Rongali Bihu- Assam
- Bikram Samwat- Nepal
- Aluth Avuruthu/ Sinhalese New year- Sri Lanka
- Chol Chnam Thmey/ Cambodian new year- Cambodia
- Songkan/ Pi Mai Lao – Laos
- Songkran- Thailand
- Thingyan – Burma
OFFERINGS ON TAMIL NEW YEAR:
The main offerings that should be made on this Tamil new year is fruits, flowers, holy water, fragrant incense, gold or silver, money or coins, mirror, betel leaves, and other pooja items.
Food is a mandatory part of every festival or celebration. One of the important aspects of this Tamil new year is cooking and offering of “arusuvai virunthu”, the varieties of food dishes which should contain all the 6 tastes sweet (inipu), sour (pulippu), salty (uvarpu), bitter (kasappu), pungent (kaarpu) and astringent (thuvarpu).
Certain traditional dishes are more important to be done without which Tamil new year will be incomplete. Some of them are Maanga pachadi (raw mango pachadi) is the must dish which is a mixture of sweet, sour, and bitter with the ingredients like jaggery, raw mango, neem flowers, or betel leaves. One more such dish is veppam poo rasam made of neem flower. Other dishes are made according to their customs and traditions accompanied with any kind of sweet or payasam.
PROCEDURE TO CELEBRATE TAMIL NEW YEAR:
The preparations for Tamil New year should be done prior to dawn.
Clean up the house and make the place tidy with all the necessary decorations in and out of the home with floral decorations, rangoli, kolam, and pooja setups.
The main aspect of the Tamil new year is called “Chithirai Kani Kaanudhal”. This aspect should be done by the following steps:
- The thambulam plate should be prepared first by placing various kinds of seasonal fruits, especially including Mukkani (Maa, palaa, Vazhai) known as mango, banana, and jackfruit, along with Lemon and betel leaves which is mandatory as these represent fertility and abundance.
- Any kind of gold (sornam) or silver pieces of jewelry, money, or coins should be placed inside the thambulam representing the material wealth.
- A mirror should be placed in the thambulam, which symbolizes the presence of God.
All these setups should be done the night before Tamil New Year and
the dawn of Tamil New year mornings should be woken up by facing this thambulam along with positive notes and prayers within the self. Get up and complete the morning rituals with a holy bath(Maruthu neer aadal) and wearing new dresses on this day.
MARUTHU NEER AADUTHAL:
One of the major and mandatory things which are followed on this traditional Tamil new year is Maruthu neer aduthal (holy medicinal bath)which represents the holy bath that is performed as a ritual during this auspicious day. This maruthu neer will be provided at temples, holy places or can also be prepared at home with various holy ingredients, which should be used initially for taking bath.
Various holy medicinal herbs and ingredients that are present in this maruthu neer are as follows:
- Thazham poo (fragrant screw pine flower)
- Thamarai poo (Lotus flower)
- Madhulam poo( pomegranate flower)
- Thulasi (holy basil)
- Vishnu krandhi/ sankhu poo (Morning glory flower)
- Vilvam leaves (Bhel or wood apple tree)
- Arugu (Bermuda grass)
- Peerku (Ridge gourd flower)
- Korosanai (gorochan)
- Manjal (turmeric)
- Thippili (Long pepper)
- Sukku (dried ginger)
- Seedevi sengazhuneer flower
- Milk
- Kosalam
- Komaiyam
The next step is followed by lighting Diya and performing pooja with the thambulam, fruits, flowers, incense, and other necessary auspicious holy items, praying for the good beginning and prosperity throughout that new year.
The lighting of Diya and fragrant incense will help to ward off evil and darkness from the place and life through its divine light.
Visiting temples, friends, and relatives home, sharing wishes, greetings, sweets, gifts, spreading happiness and joy play a vital part in this Tamil New Year celebration.
Importance Of Tamil New Year in our Tradition:
- This Tamil new year marks the beginning season of regeneration, growth, and fertility of everything after a complete cycle.
- This Tamil New Year acts as a boost up for every aspect of life with new aspirations and optimistic possibilities.
- As the natural environment around us refreshes into its new phase, this acts as the right time to take care of a healthy body and strong immune system.
- It is believed that the Tamil new year will always bring prosperity, willpower, good fortune, and success in the upcoming happy days.
- This helps to remove negativity and bring a positive transformation in life that supports new commencements and opportunities.
With new aspirations, new dreams and new hopes, may you be showered with divine blessings and eternal glory in this upcoming year and always. Let your days be filled with cheers, new resolutions and success all your way.
Celebrate life.
Celebrate New beginnings.
“Happy Tamil New Year 2022”