Puthandu
Also called Tamil New Year, Chithirai 1, Varusha Pirappu
When
Wednesday, 14 April 2027 in 216 days
New Delhi · change location
at sunrise. This observance is governed by sankranti-instant, not by the sunrise tithi — which is why the tithi named here is often not the one the festival is named for.
See the complete panchang for that day →
Governed by sankranti-instant
Why this date?
Chithirai 1 — the first day of the Tamil solar year, reckoned from the Sun's entry into Mesha. Traditions differ on which CIVIL day a sankranti belongs to. Some take the day the ingress instant falls in; others take the first day whose sunrise finds the Sun already in the new sign; the Tamil and Malayalam conventions add their own cutoffs. That is why the solar new years of different regions can land on different days in the same year even though they mark one astronomical event.
- Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
- Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
- The governing period is stated, and the rule is applied to it
- The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar
Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate →
What In short
The Tamil new year. The kanni — the auspicious first sight — is arranged the night before, the year's panchangam is read, and the mangai-pachadi with its six tastes is eaten.
Why The reason behind it
The year is read before it is lived: the panchangam reading on this morning is a formal account of what the coming year holds. The pachadi's six tastes make the same point the Ugadi pachadi does a fortnight earlier — a year is not one flavour, and the dish says so before anyone has to.
Traditional basis
Tamil solar calendar convention — Chithirai 1 as the year's beginning, reckoned from the Mesha sankranti.
Panchangam-padithal tradition — The formal reading of the year's almanac, kept in temples and households on this morning.
How At home, step by step
- Arrange the kanni the night before — fruit, betel, gold, a mirror and a lamp — to be seen first on waking.
- Draw the kolam and hang a mango-leaf toran.
- Hear the panchangam reading.
- Eat the mangai-pachadi with raw mango, neem flower, jaggery and chilli.
What you'll need
- Fruit, betel leaves and gold for the kanni
- A mirror and a kuthuvilakku
- Raw mango, neem flower and jaggery
- The year's panchangam
Fasting and breaking the fast
Not a fasting day.
Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice — if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.
Personal In your region
- Tamil Nadu (Tamil)
Kept across Tamil Nadu and the diaspora; the Chithirai festival at Madurai falls in the same solar month.
For children
The Tamil new year. A tray of fruit, gold and a mirror is put out the night before so it is the first thing you see, and someone reads out what the whole year is going to be like.
Common questions
- Is this the same as Ugadi?
- No. Ugadi is the LUNAR new year on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada; Puthandu is the SOLAR new year on Chithirai 1. They fall a fortnight or so apart and are reckoned by different bodies — one by the Moon's phase, one by the Sun's position.
Not the same day
These fall nearby or share the tithi, and are often confused with this observance. They are separate, and this site dates them separately.
- Vishu
- Baisakhi
- Poila Boishakh
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.