tamil
Puthandu / Tamil New Year
புத்தாண்டு
April · 1 day
Puthandu — Tamil New Year — falls on April 14, the first day of the Tamil month of Chithirai. It is one of the only major Indian festivals tied to the solar calendar rather than the moon, which is why it lands on the same date every year. The day begins with kanni: the first sight of the morning is composed in advance — a tray of auspicious items (mirror, gold, fruit, betel leaves, fresh flowers) placed at the bedside so it is what the eyes find when they open. The kitchen makes maanga pachadi — a raw mango relish balanced across six tastes (sweet jaggery, sour mango, bitter neem flower, salty salt, pungent chili, astringent tamarind) — meant to embody the year's full emotional palette in one dish.
What to do
Maanga Pachadi
EssentialRelish with six tastes: neem (bitter), mango (sour), jaggery (sweet), salt, chili (pungent), tamarind (astringent)
Kanni (Auspicious first sight)
Arranging auspicious items (mirror, flowers, fruits, gold) as first thing seen on New Year morning
Panchangam reading
Year's astrological forecast at temple
Getting ready
Source raw green mango and neem flowers (vepampoo) — Tamil grocery stores often stock dried vepampoo
home
Stock remaining maanga pachadi ingredients: jaggery, tamarind, mustard seeds, dried red chili, asafoetida
home
Buy items for the kanni tray: small mirror, fresh fruit (mango, banana, orange), betel leaves, a flower, a coin or gold piece
home
Check Tamil Sangam program — RSVP if attending community Saturday event
community
Night before: assemble the kanni tray at the bedside, covered with a cloth
home
Morning: open eyes to the kanni; uncover and take darshan of each item
ritual
Cook maanga pachadi; offer first to household deities, then share with family
food
Call elderly relatives in India for Puthandu Vazhthukkal
ritual
In the diaspora
Tamil Sangam chapters across the US mark Puthandu with morning programs the Saturday closest to April 14 — kolam competitions, panchangam reading (a priest reads the year's astrological forecast for each rasi), nadaswaram performance, and a community meal featuring maanga pachadi, vadai, and payasam. At home, Tamil families compose the kanni tray the night before so the children see it first thing on Puthandu morning. Maanga pachadi ingredients (raw green mango, neem flowers, jaggery, tamarind) are seasonal — Patel Brothers and Tamil grocery stores stock the harder-to-find neem flowers (vepampoo) in dried or fresh form in the week before. Many families also call elderly relatives in India for Puthandu Vazhthukkal — "Happy New Year" greetings — at the start of the morning.
Foods for this festival
What people eat and why — cultural context, not step-by-step recipes.
- Maanga Pachadi
மாங்கா பச்சடி
The Puthandu dish with a point: the year ahead will bring every flavor, so the first meal of it includes them all.
The Puthandu dish with a point: the year ahead will bring every flavor, so the first meal of it includes them all.
- Payasam
பாயாசம் · PAH-yuh-sum
No Tamil wedding ends without payasam. Which one — semiya, pal, paruppu — depends on the festival and the family.
No Tamil wedding ends without payasam. Which one — semiya, pal, paruppu — depends on the festival and the family.
When is Puthandu?
- Puthandu 2025
- April 14, 2025
- Puthandu 2026
- April 14, 2026
- Puthandu 2027
- April 14, 2027
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