Puthaandu Vazthukal: Tamil New Year Celebration by Tamils in Tamil Nadu & Sinhalese in Sri Lanka
Though the entire world celebrates New Year universally on January 1st, there are different calendars to mark New Year when it comes to different communities. The first day of Chithirai month is marked as the start of the Tamil Calendar. It is considered to be an auspicious occasion since people seek blessings from Sun God and wish for the new beginnings. It falls on April 14th of every year and is celebrated as Tamil New Year. ‘Puthandu’ in Tamil is known as New Year and New Possibilities. Tamil New Year is one of the major festivals celebrated by Tamil speaking community in Tamil Nadu and around the world.
Tamil New Year Celebration by Tamils in Tamil Nadu:
The day before or early hours of Puthandu, people clean their houses and embellish their home with Kolams or rangolis. Decorate the doorway with mango leaves and start gathering foods to prepare. People cook delish foods with six different tastes from traditional Tamil cuisine. Placing kuthu vilakku at the centre of the Kolam and lighting it to ward off the darkness from our life.
The indispensable fruit choices – Mango, Jackfruit and Banana which is called as ‘Mukkani’ are considered to be the common items on this auspicious day. When it comes to foods, South Indian cuisine is undefeatable. You cannot miss the special dessert of the day which is creamy ‘Semiya Payasam’. The tastiest culinary of Tamil Nadu from foods to sweets makes the heart contended. Tamil people celebrates Tamil New Year by exchanging sweets, wishing the neighbours, partaking in a vegetarian fest, and going to temple to seek blessings from God.
Check out the famous foreign Instagrammer Jake Dryan (@plantfuture) who prepares Semiya Payasam on this special day: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrA7qDPKWqQ/
Tamil New Year Celebration by Sinhalese in Sri Lanka:
Like Tamils in India, Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka celebrates Tamil New Year on 14th April. It is considered to be one of the biggest celebrations in Sri Lanka which includes multiple rituals and customs. Starting from the 13th day of April to 14th April, Sinhalese ensures to perform all the rituals and traditions. They honour Sun God on this auspicious day. The traditions and rituals Sinhalese practice are what makes the day more special.
On the day of Tamil New Year, Sri Lankan Tamils performs their first ritual which is lighting the hearth to prepare milk rice. It is one of the must-haves on ‘Puthaandu’. The sweets do vary from Tamil Nadu tradition as it includes Konda Kewum, kavum, kokis, thalaguli, aggala, aasmi, and aluwa. Sinhalese performs loads and loads of rituals to ensure to get blessings. They even indulge in traditional games which are actually a part of Tamil New Year celebration.
You may also like: 8 Traditional Sweets to prepare for this Tamil New Year
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