Happy New Year! Surprised to see this greeting more than four months after Jan 1? Well yesterday was the Tamil New Year or Puthandu/ Varusha Pirrapu as it’s called in Tamil, which is the first day of the Tamil New Year as celebrated by the Tamil diaspora across India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia etc. This is one of the very few festivals which is celebrated keeping the solar calendar instead of the lunar calendar (which is mostly the norm for Hindu festivals) in mind.

The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayanam vernal equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. 14 April marks the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Tropical vernal equinox falls around 22 March, and adding 23 degrees of trepidation or oscillation to it, we get the Hindu sidereal transition or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (the 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, West Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Mithila, Odisha, 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.

Tamil people celebrate Tamil new year on 14 April. This is the month of Chittrai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar.  In the temple city of Madurai, the Chittrai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chittrai Porutkaatchi. 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 at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam. Festivals are also held at Tiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and many other places.

Growing up, this festival used to be smack bang during our final exams and so it not really on our radar. Depending on the exam schedule, we would have exams going on, or it would be the last exam. I do remember my mother getting new clothes for us for that day.

Since it is a holiday in Tamil Nadu, food prepared used to be the festive one with all flavours in it – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy. But since it was a normal working day for us in Mumbai, food used to be the usual day-to-day food. But one other thing I do remember my mother making is Mango Pachadi, which is made from raw mango, jiggery and neem flowers (Azadirachta indica) and is a medley of flavours – sweet, sour and bitter. This is to indicate that the coming year be full of different flavours for everyone in the house.

Tomorrow is Hanuman Jayanthi, the day which is celebrated as the birthday of the Monkey God, Lord Hanuman. The day is observed as per the Hindu calendar and is observed on the full moon (Purnima) or on the 15^th day of the Shukla Paksha day of the Hindu month of the Chaitra (March-April) which this year falls on 4^th April.

An ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Lord Hanuman occupies a very important part in the Hindu mythology Ramayana. He is worshipped for his unflinching devotion to Lord Rama and Goddess Sita and is often seen as a symbol of strength, energy and fearlessness. Lord Hanuman is said to be able to assume any form – large or small and can move mountains, fly through the air and seize the clouds.

People worship him as a brahmachari (eternal bachelor) and also the one to turn when assailed by evil spirits. It is the practice to recite the Hanuman Chalisa when scared of anything, as it is said, by the recitation of the Chalisa, you can overcome your fears.

Here’s Hanuman’s birth story, copied from Wikipedia:

Hanuman was born to the vanaras. His other Anjana was an apsara who was born on earth due to a curse. She was redeemed from this curse on her giving birth to a son.

The Valmiki Ramayana states that his father Kesari was the son ofBrihaspati and that Kesari also fought on Rama’s side in the war against Ravana. Anjana and Kesari performed intense prayers to Shiva to get a child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the boon they sought. Hanuman, in another interpretation, is the incarnation or reflection of Shiva himself.

Hanuman is often called the son of the deity Vayu; several different traditions account for the Vayu’s role in Hanuman’s birth. One story mentioned in Eknath’s Bhavartha Ramayana (16th century CE) states that when Anjana was worshiping Shiva, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakama yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Another tradition says that Anjana and her husband Kesari prayed Shiva for a child. By Shiva’s direction, Vayu transferred his male energy to Anjana’s womb. Accordingly, Hanuman is identified as the son of the Vayu.

Another story of Hanuman’s origins is derived from the Vishnu Purana and Naradeya Purana. Narada, infatuated with a princess, went to his lord Vishnu, to make him look like Vishnu, so that the princess would garland him at swayamvara(husband-choosing ceremony). He asked for hari mukh (Hari is another name of Vishnu, and mukh means face). Vishnu instead bestowed him with the face of a vanara. Unaware of this, Narada went to the princess, who burst into laughter at the sight of his ape-like face before all the king’s court. Narada, unable to bear the humiliation, cursed Vishnu, that Vishnu would one day be dependent upon a vanara. Vishnu replied that what he had done was for Narada’s own good, as he would have undermined his own powers if he were to enter matrimony. Vishnu also noted that Hari has the dual Sanskrit meaning of vanara. Upon hearing this, Narada repented for cursing his idol. But Vishnu told him not repent as the curse would act as a boon, for it would lead to the birth of Hanuman, an avatar of Shiva, without whose help Rama (Vishnu’s avatar) could not kill Ravana.

The day is celebrated with people reading and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and making sweet offerings to Lord Hanuman at home and at the temple. Hanuman is said to be of an orangeish-red colour and this is why every idol will be smeared with a paste of this colour and this paste is usually put on the forehead as a blessing from the Lord.

Hanuman Jayanti celebration indicates the balanced coexistence of the whole human fraternity with the nature’s incredible creature, Lord Hanuman from Vanara community. People from the Hindu religion worship Lord Hanuman as a divine creature. This celebration has lots of importance to all however Brahmacharis, wrestlers and bodybuilders are specially inclined towards this celebration. There are many names through which Lord Hanuman is famous among his devotees like Bajrangabali, Pavanasuta, Pavankumar, Mahavira, Balibima, Marutsuta, Anjanisut, Sankat Mochan, Anjaneya, Maruti, Rudra and many more.

Hanuman avatar is considered as the 11^th Rudra avatar of the Lord Siva with great devotion, strength, knowledge, divine power, bravery, intelligence, spirit for selfless service and etc. He has devoted his life only for his Lord Rama and Mata Sita and never shows his bravery and intelligence without any purpose. The devotees of the Lord Hanuman always pray him for getting blessed with the same for their bright future. He is worshipped in many ways by his devotees; some meditates by repeating his name many times to get power, fame, success and etc in the life whereas some reads the Hanuman Chalisa to get the same.

In Tamil homes and temples, in addition to sweet offering, a savory called vadai is made and threaded into a garland, offered to the Lord and then eaten as neividhyam or prasadam.

Tomorrow is Ram Navami, the festival which celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, the oldest son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya and the protagonist of the Hindu epic The Ramayana.

The day is traditionally celebrated on Shukla Paksha on the Navami, or ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar. This day also marks the end of the Chaitra Navratri or Vasant Navratri which is celebrated mostly in Northern India.

Lord Rama, one of the oldest know Gods having a human form, is known as the perfect man and ‘Maryada Purushottam’ which translates to an ideal, righteous and perfect human being. In this avatar or manifestation of Lord Vishnu, as Lord Rama, he destroys the demon king of Lanka (present day Sri Lanka) King Ravana.

In his Sanskrit text Ramayana, Valmiki, describes the birth chart of Lord Rama as

“On completion of the ritual six seasons have passed by and then in the twelfth month, on the ninth day of Chaitra month [March–April], when the presiding deity of ruling star of the day is Aditi, where the ruling star of day is Punarvasu (Nakshatra),  the asterism is in the ascendant, and when five of the nine planets viz., Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are at their highest position, when Jupiter with Moon is ascendant in Cancer, and when day is advancing, then Queen Kausalya gave birth to a son with all the divine attributes like lotus-red eyes, lengthy arms, roseate lips, voice like drumbeat, and who took birth to delight the Ikshwaku dynasty, who is adored by all the worlds, and who is the greatly blessed epitome of Vishnu, namely Rama.”

— Book I: Bala Kanda, Ramayana by Valmiki, Chapter (Sarga) 18, verses 8, 9, 10 and 11

Temples celebrate his birth at noon, with cradles and small image of Lord Rama in it as he is traditionally supposed to be born then. Many people may fast with the temple offerings being their main meal of the day.

In South India, the day is also celebrated by performing a Kalyanosatvam (marriage celebration) of Rama and Sita and then temples have processions (which is dwindling these days).

A sweet drink called Panakam, made using jiggery, lemon, cardamom and pepper is made and offered to the Lord on this day as prasadam along with a cooling yoghurt drink called Neer Mor and a lentil payasam.

Although an important festival in the Hindu calendar, this is not a festival, I remember celebrating much. I do remember drinking panakam made by my mother and that is the extent of our festivities. I don’t have any memories of any special dishes made for this festival. This year, I will most likely make the drink, offer it to the Lord and then share it with my family.



Savitri following Satyavan to the forest (Image from Wikipedia)

Women in Tamil Nadu will celebrate Karadaiya Noombu or Savitri Vartham on Sunday early morning. One of the more obscure festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu, this can be compared to the more popular and ubiquitous Karwa Chauth that women in North India celebrate. In both, women fast for the well-being and long-life of their husbands. Here, women and girls will tie a yellow thread (noombu) at the exact moment when the Tamil month of Maasi ends and the the month of Panguni starts. In Karadaiya Noombu, girls also tie the yellow thread, although they won’t fast, unlike Karva Chauth.



Savitri begging Lord Yama not to tak e away her husband’s life (Image from Wikipedia)

A special offering to God called Noombu Adai is prepared to offer to the Lord and then eaten by the women fasting/praying.



Savitri fighting for Satyavan’s life (Image from Wikipedia)

It is believed that on this day, aeons ago, in mythology, the princess Savitri sweet-talked the Lord Yama and got her husband Satyavan back from the dead. The story of Satyavan and Savitri was first found in the Mahabharata and is actually a very sweet story. Read more here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitri_and_Satyavan)

The fast for Karadaiya Noombu is observed from sunrise on the transition day when the Sun God, Lord Surya transitions from Kumbha (Capricorn) raashi to Meena (Pieces) raashi. 

I am really curious to know if other cultures have something similar….