Tamizh Puthandu (14.04.2024)
-Rohit Kumar Parmar [1]
Tamiz Puthandu (தமிழ்ப்புத்தாண்டு), also known as Chittirai Vishu (சித்திர விசு in Southern Tamil Nadu), Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is traditionally celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai (சித்திர), corresponding to April of the Gregorian calendar.
On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puthāaṇdu vāazhthugal!" (புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்) or "Iṉiya puthaandu nalvāazhthugal!" (இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்), or "Happy new year".
This is one of the few Indian/Hindu festivals which falls around the same date every year. This time of the year coincides with rabi (winter crop in north India) harvest and the Indian new year. This year the celebrations are on 13th for V/Baisakhi, on 14th for Puthandu; Pana Sankranti, Mesha Sankranti; Bohag/ Rongali Bihu; Pohela Boishakh; and Vishu Kani.[2]
It is celebrated as New Year in the neighbouring countries of South/South-East Asia also, Bangladesh (Poila Boisakh); Nepal (Bikram Samvat); Pakistan (Punjab province as Baisakhi); Thailand (Songkron); and in Sri Lanka (Sinhalese New Year).
Puthandu is also celebrated by Tamils in Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and other countries by the Tamil diaspora.
There are several references to Puthandu in early Tamil literature.
Calendar
Kūdalūr Kizhaar refers to Mesha Raasi/Chitterai as the commencement of the year in the Puṟanāṉūṟu, literally "four hundred poems in the genre puram", and is a classical Tamil poetic work.
The Manimekalai, Tamil epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably around 6th century, alludes to the Hindu solar calendar, as we know it today.
Adiyarkunalaar, an early medieval commentator mentions twelve months of the Tamil calendar with particular reference to Chitterai.
There are subsequent inscriptional references in Pagan, Burma (now Myanmar) dating the 11th century AD and in Sukhothai, Thailand dating the 14th century AD, to the South Indian Calendar, often Vaishnavite, courtiers tasked with defining the traditional calendar that began in mid-April.
Zodiac signs/Seasons
Sangam period author Nakkirar of Neṭunalvāṭai (ancient tamil poem), wrote that sun travels from Mesha/Chitterai through 11 successive signs of the zodiac.
The Silappadikaaram (Jain Tamil epic) mentions the 12 Rashis or zodiac signs starting with Mesha/Chitterai.
The Tolkaapiyam the oldest surviving Tamil grammar text divides the year into six seasons where Chitterai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer.
Celebrations
On the eve of Puthandu, a tray is arranged with three fruits (mango, banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and arecanut, gold/silver jewellery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror, which is similar to the festival tray on new year for Vishu in Kerala. According to the Tamil tradition, this festive tray is auspicious as the first sight upon waking on the new year day.
The day is observed as family time. Households clean up the house, light up the family Puja altar and visit temples. People wear new clothes and children go to elders to pay their respects and seek blessings, then the family sits down to a vegetarian feast.
Entrances of the homes are decorated elaborately with rice flour and colours designs called moggulu/ kolams/ rangoli.
In the temple city of Madurai, the Chitterai Thiruvizha is celebrated in Meenakshi Temple. An exhibition is held, called Chitterai Porutkaatchi (meaning exhibition). A big Car Festival is held at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam. Festivals are also held at Tiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and other places.
[1] Author (Free lance, IES Retd, Former Senior Economic Adviser, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Adviser UNDP, Yemen P 4) has in posts
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[2] Other write-ups on festivals can be seen on the website https://rohitkparmar.wixsite.com/site .
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