Puthandu#Related holidays in other cultures

{{Infobox Holiday

| holiday_name = Puthandu
Tamil New Year

| image = A colorful Puthandu welcome to Sinhala and Tamil New Year in Sri Lanka.jpg

| caption = Tamil New Year decorations for Puthandu

| observedby = Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Reunion, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa

| date = First day of Chithirai in the Tamil calendar

| celebrations = Feasting, gift-giving, visiting homes and temples, Kani tray

| longtype = Cultural, Social, Religious

| type = Hindu

| significance = Tamil New Year

| date2025 = 14 Aprilhttps://www.stationeryprinting.tn.gov.in/gazette/2025/5_VI_1_2025.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}}{{cite web | url=https://www.gazette.lk/2025/01/2025-government-calendar-with-holidays-sri-lanka-public-bank-mercantile-full-moon-poya-holidays.html | title=2025 Government Calendar with Holidays Sri Lanka - Public, Bank, Mercantile, & Full Moon Poya Holidays | date=9 January 2025 }}

| scheduling = yearly (according to Solar Hindu Calender)

| frequency = Annual

| official_name = Puthandu

| nickname =

}}

Puthandu ({{Langx|ta|புத்தாண்டு|lit=new year|translit=Puttāṇṭu}}), also known as Tamil New Year ({{Langx|ta|வருடப்பிறப்பு|translit=Varusappiṟappu|lit=birth of year}}), is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar that is traditionally celebrated as a festival by Tamils. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the solar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the month of Chittirai. It falls on or about 14 April every year on the Gregorian calendar. The same day is observed elsewhere in South and South East Asia as the traditional new year, but it is known by other names such as Vishu in Kerala, Bisu Parba in Tulunadu, and Vaisakhi or Baisakhi in central and northern India.

On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puttāṇṭu vāḻttukaḷ!" ({{lang|ta| புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துகள்}}) or "Iṉiya puttāṇṭu nalvāḻttukaḷ!" ({{lang|ta|இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துகள்}}), which is equivalent to "Happy new year".{{cite book|author=William D. Crump|title=Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDTfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA220 |year=2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-9545-0|page=220}} The day is observed as a family time. Households clean up the house, prepare a tray with fruits, flowers and auspicious items, light up the family puja altar and visit their local temples. People wear new clothes and children go to elders to pay their respects and seek their blessings, then the family sits down to a vegetarian feast.{{cite book|author=Samuel S. Dhoraisingam|title=Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QHwcAgAAQBAJ |year=2006|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-230-346-2|page=38}}

Puthandu is celebrated by Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Reunion. The Tamil diaspora also celebrates it{{cite book|author=J. Gordon Melton|title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD_2J7W_2hQC&pg=PA633|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-206-7|page=633}}{{cite book|author=Peter Reeves|title=The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4N5UAgAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=Editions Didier Millet|isbn=978-981-4260-83-1|page=113}}, Quote: "The key festivals celebrated by Sri Lankan Tamils in Canada include Thai Pongal (harvest festival) in January, Puthuvarusham (Tamil/New Year) in April, and Deepavali (Festival of Lights) in October/November." in countries such as Myanmar, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia.

Origin and significance

File:A food treats arrangement for Puthandu (Vaisakhi) Tamil New Year.jpg

The Tamil New Year follows the spring equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. The day celebrates on the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The same date is observed as the traditional new year in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Sri Lanka also celebrate the same day as their new year,{{cite book|author=Peter Reeves|title=The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4N5UAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA174 |year=2014|publisher=Didier Millet|isbn=978-981-4260-83-1|page=174}} likely an influence of the shared culture between South and Southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE.{{cite book|author1=Karen Pechilis| author2=Selva J. Raj|title= South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kaubzRxh-U0C&pg=PA48| year= 2013| publisher= Routledge|isbn= 978-0-415-44851-2|pages=48–49}}

There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year. Nakkirar, Sangam period author of the Neṭunalvāṭai, wrote that the sun travels from Mesha/Chittirai through 11 successive signs of the zodiac.JV Chelliah: Pattupattu: Ten Tamil Idylls. Tamil Verses with English Translation. Thanjavur: Tamil University, 1985 – Lines 160 to 162 of the NeṭunalvāṭaiKamil Zvelabil dates the Neṭunalvāṭai to between the 2nd and 4th century CE – Kamil Zvelebil: The Smile of Murugan on Tamil Literature of South India. E.J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands, 1973 – page 41-42 Kūdalūr Kiḻār refers to Mesha Raasi/Chittirai as the commencement of the year in the Puṟanāṉūṟu.Poem 229 of PuṟanāṉūṟuProfessor Vaiyapuri Pillai: 'History of Tamil Language and Literature' Chennai, 1956, pages 35, 151George L. Hart and Hank Heifetz: The Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom: An Anthology of Poems from Classical Tamil: The Purananuru, Columbia University Press, New York, 1999 – Poem 229 in pages 142 to 143. – "At midnight crowded with darkness in the first quarter of the night when the constellation of Fire was linked with The Goat and from the moment the First Constellation arose...during the first half of the month of Pankuni, when the Constellation of the Far North was descending...". George Hart in turn dates the Purananuru to between the first and third centuries CE. See page xv – xvii The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar that divides the year into six seasons where Chittirai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer.V. Murugan, G. John Samuel: Tolkāppiyam in English: Translation, with the Tamil text, Transliteration in the Roman Script, Introduction, Glossary, and Illustrations, Institute of Asian Studies, Madras, India, 2001 The Silappadikaaram mentions the 12 Raasis or zodiac signs starting with Mesha/Chittirai.Canto 26 of Silappadikaaram. Canto 5 also describes the foremost festival in the Chola country – the Indra Vilha celebrated in Chitterai The Manimekalai alludes to the Hindu solar calendar as we know it today. Adiyarkunalaar, an early medieval commentator or Urai-asiriyar mentions the twelve months of the Tamil calendar with particular reference to Chittirai. There were subsequent inscriptional references in Pagan, Burma dated to the 11th century CE and in Sukhothai, Thailand dated to the 14th century CE to South Indian, often Vaishnavite, courtiers who were tasked with defining the traditional calendar that began in mid-April.G.H. Luce, Old Burma – Early Pagan, Locust Valley, New York, Page 68, and A.B. Griswold, 'Towards a History of Sukhodaya Art, Bangkok 1967, pages 12–32

Celebration

Tamil people celebrate Puthandu, also called Puthuvarusham, as the traditional "Tamil/New Year", states Peter Reeves. This is the month of Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, and Puthandu typically falls on 14 April.{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|page=406}} In some parts of Southern Tamil Nadu, the festival is called Chittirai Vishu. 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. This is similar to the Vishu new year festival ceremonial tray in Kerala. According to the Tamil tradition, this festive tray is auspicious as the first sight upon waking on the new year day. Home entrances are decorated elaborately with colored rice powder. These designs are called kolams.

= Chittirai Thiruvilha in temples =

In the temple city of Madurai, the Chittirai Thiruvilha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chittirai Porutkaatchi. On the day of the Tamil New Year, a big Car Festival is held at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam. Festivals are also held at Tiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and other places.

= Chithiraikani in Kongu Nadu =

Chithiraikani, also known as Vishukani, is an important part of the Puthandu celebrations in the Kongu Nadu region, which share similarities with Vishu celebrations in Kerala and Tulu Nadu.File:Chithiraikani-kongunadu-newyear.pngThis Chithiraikani practice involves arrangement of a special tray containing auspicious items that are displayed in front of a mirror. The word "kani" in Kongu Tamil and Malayalam means "that which is seen first," and both celebrations involve arranging a special tray of auspicious items that are displayed in front of a mirror. The traditional belief is that viewing joyful and auspicious things first on the new year day brings prosperity and good luck.

The Chithiraikani or Vishukani tray typically includes three fruits (mango, banana, and jackfruit), betel leaves, rice, lemon, cucumber, coconut cut open, arecanut, gold or silver jewelry, coins or money, flowers, and a mirror, among other things that symbolize wealth and prosperity. This arrangement is similar to the Vishu celebrations that take place in Kerala. In some parts of Kerala, the Vishukkani tray also includes Aranmula kannadi (Vaalkannadi), golden color Konna flowers (Cassia fistula) which bloom in the season of Vishu, gold or silver jewelry, coins or money, flowers, and a mirror. The mirror symbolizes seeing oneself as a part of the abundance one sees in the form of Pani.{{Cite web |title=TAMIL NEW YEAR greetings with Importance of the Festival |url=http://www.indiaherald.com/Spirituality/Read/303020/TAMIL-NEW-YEAR-greetings-with-Importance-of-the-Festival |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=indiaherald.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dhurga |date=2023-04-13 |title=தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு அன்று காலையில் கண் விழித்ததும் முதலில் இவற்றை எல்லாம் பார்த்து விடுவதோடு, இந்த இரண்டு பொருளையும் மறக்காமல் வாங்கி விட்டால் இந்த ஆண்டில் நீங்கள் சீரும் சிறப்புமாக வாழ்வது உறுதி. |url=https://dheivegam.com/thamizh-puththandu-vazhipadu/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Dheivegam |language=ta}}{{Cite web |title=Vishu Kani Preparation: വിഷുക്കണി എങ്ങനെ ഒരുക്കാം |url=https://malayalam.samayam.com/spirituality/what-is-vishu-kani-and-how-to-prepare-vishu-kani-at-home-details-in-malayalam/articleshow/68721430.cms |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=Samayam Malayalam |language=ml}}

The day before the Chithiraikani or Vishukkani celebrations, people prepare the tray of auspicious items. On the new year day, elders light lamps and wake up juniors in the family. As soon as they wake up, they walk to the kani with their eyes closed and see it as the first scene of the year. This tradition is significant in both regions and is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.{{Cite web |title=Vishu Celebration in Kerala - Vishu in Kerala, Vishu Festival in Kerala |url=http://www.vishufestival.org/vishu-celebration-in-kerala.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.vishufestival.org}}

= Sri Lanka =

File:2019_kolam_decoration_for_Pongal_festival,_South_India.jpg

Sri Lankan Tamils observe the traditional new year in April with the first financial transaction known as the Kai-vishesham. In this transaction children go to elders to pay their respect, and elders give their blessings and gift pocket money to the children in return. The event is also observed with the 'arpudu' or the first ploughing of the ground to prepare for the new agricultural cycle. The game of 'por-thenkai' or coconut wars between youth is played in villages through the Tamil north and east of the island while cart races are also held.{{cite web |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/12/fea04.asp |title=Features | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers |publisher=Dailynews.lk |date=12 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014131201/http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/12/fea04.asp |archive-date=14 October 2012 }} The festive Puthandu season in April is a time for family reunion and the renewal of filial bonds.Sivanandini Duraiswamy, Remembering Hindu Traditions, M.D. Gunasena and Co Ltd, 1997, pages 41–48. {{cite web |url=http://larazonsanluis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2916.pdf |title=Remembering Hindu Traditions |access-date=13 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422202940/http://larazonsanluis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2916.pdf |archive-date=22 April 2016 }} It coincides with the Sinhalese new year season.{{cite web |url=http://tamilweek.com/news-features/archives/887 |title=tamilweek.com/news-features " April 14 is the Tamil New Year, not Sinhalese! |publisher=Tamilweek.com |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027185218/http://tamilweek.com/news-features/archives/887 |archive-date=27 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}

{{multiple image

| align = right

| image1 = Manga pachadi.JPG

| width1 = 180

| alt1 =

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| image2 = Koozh and Maanga.jpg

| width2 = 160

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| footer = Two styles of mango-based pachadi dish, that combines many bitter-sour-sweet-pungent flavors to mark Puthandu.

}}

Later in the day, families enjoy a feast.{{cite book|author=Paul Fieldhouse|title=Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA548| year=2017|publisher= ABC-CLIO|isbn= 978-1-61069-412-4|page=548}}

= Overseas =

In Malaysia and Singapore, Tamils join Sikhs, Malayalees and Bengalis to celebrate the traditional new year in mid-April with leaders across the political spectrum wishing the ethnic Indian community for the new year. Special religious events are held in Hindu temples, in Tamil community centers and Gurdwaras. Cultural programs and media events also take place. It's a day of celebration for the Indian community.{{cite web |url=http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/najib-sends-new-year-greetings-1.254972 |title=Najib sends new year greetings – General – New Straits Times |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104094226/http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/najib-sends-new-year-greetings-1.254972 |archive-date=4 January 2014 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nst.com.my/latest/new-year-wishes-to-malaysian-indian-community-1.254654?cache%3D03%3Fkey%3DMalaysia%2F7.276913%2F7.318771 |title=New Year wishes to Malaysian Indian community – Latest – New Straits Times |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104094221/http://www.nst.com.my/latest/new-year-wishes-to-malaysian-indian-community-1.254654?cache=03%3Fkey%3DMalaysia%2F7.276913%2F7.318771 |archive-date=4 January 2014 }}{{cite web |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/4/15/nation/12971969&sec=nation |title=Hindus start new year with dawn prayers – Nation | the Star Online |website=thestar.com.my |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416033031/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/4/15/nation/12971969&sec=nation |archive-date=16 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.heb.gov.sg/hindu-resources/39-hindu-festivals |title=Hindu Festivals |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630113949/http://www.heb.gov.sg/hindu-resources/39-hindu-festivals |archive-date=30 June 2013 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.singaporeunited.sg/cep/index.php/web/News-Room/PM-Lee-celebrates-Tamil-New-Year |title=PM Lee celebrates Tamil New Year / News Room / Singapore United – Com… |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130706121022/http://www.singaporeunited.sg/cep/index.php/web/News-Room/PM-Lee-celebrates-Tamil-New-Year |archive-date=6 July 2013 |url-status=dead}}

Controversy

File:Tamil new year Puthandu prasadam at a Hindu temple.jpg

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Government of Tamil Nadu had declared in 2008 that the Tamil new year should be celebrated on the first day of Tamil month of Thai (14 January) coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal. The Tamil Nadu New Year (Declaration Bill 2008) was enacted as the state law by the DMK assembly members and its Tamil Nadu Government on 29 January 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.tn.gov.in/tnassembly/Governors_address_Jan2008_2.htm |title=Bill on new Tamil New Year Day is passed unanimously |publisher=Tn.gov.in |access-date=18 October 2011}} This law of the DMK majority-led government was subsequently rescinded by a separate act of legislation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with an AIADMK majority-led government on 23 August 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/jaya-changes-dmks-calendar-tamil-new-year-in-april-now/836039/1 |title=Jaya changes DMK's calendar, Tamil new year in April now |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=24 August 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite web|author=DC chennai |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/jaya-reverses-karunanidhi%E2%80%99s-order-tamil-new-year-chithirai-1-943 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011210524/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/jaya-reverses-karunanidhi%E2%80%99s-order-tamil-new-year-chithirai-1-943 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 October 2012 |title=Jaya reverses Karunanidhi's order; Tamil New Year on Chithirai 1 |work=Deccan Chronicle |location=India |date=24 August 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2388749.ece |title=States / Tamil Nadu : Tamil New Year in Chithirai |work=The Hindu |location=India |date=23 August 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}} Many in Tamil Nadu ignored the DMK government legislation that rescheduled the festival date, and continued the celebration of their traditional Puthandu new year festival in mid-April.{{cite web |url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/tamils-ignore-government-fiat-celebrate-new-year_10037583.html |title=Tamils ignore government fiat, celebrate New Year – Thaindian News |publisher=Thaindian.com |date=13 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613161125/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/tamils-ignore-government-fiat-celebrate-new-year_10037583.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-89374.html |title=Tamil new year celebrated in UT [newkerala.com, The Netherlands, 89374] |publisher=Newkerala.com |access-date=18 October 2011}} The Governor and Chief Minister of the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry, which has an ethnic Tamil majority, felicitated the public for the Tamil new year in April 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-89118.html |title=Pondy Governor, CM greet people on eve of Tamil New Year [newkerala.com, The Netherlands, 89118] |publisher=Newkerala.com |access-date=18 October 2011}}

The legislative reach to change the traditional religious new year by the DMK government was questioned by Hindu priests and Tamil scholars.{{cite web |url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/30420/DMKs-bogus-Tamil-New-Year.html |title= The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> DMKS bogus Tamil New Year|website=www.dailypioneer.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331221442/http://www.dailypioneer.com/30420/DMKs-bogus-Tamil-New-Year.html |archive-date=31 March 2009}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/01/tamil-cultural-debate.html|title=A Tamil cultural debate|accessdate=31 July 2023}} The law was met with resistance by Tamils in the state and elsewhere.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaenews.com/art-culture/20080413/110947.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418133945/http://www.indiaenews.com/art-culture/20080413/110947.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=18 April 2008 |title=India E-news |publisher=India E-news |date=13 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sinhalaya.com/news/english/wmview.php?ArtID=15122 |title=SINHALAYA'S FULL COVERAGE – Lankan Tamils reject Karunanidhi's diktat on Tamil New Year – CyberTalks |publisher=Sinhalaya.com |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-date=14 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114210542/http://www.sinhalaya.com/news/english/wmview.php?ArtID=15122 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|author=M.R. Venkatesh |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080413/jsp/nation/story_9132123.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918010446/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080413/jsp/nation/story_9132123.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2012 |title=The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | TN bans new year rites, priests fume |work=The Telegraph |location=Kolkota, India |date=13 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011}} It was also challenged in court.{{cite web |url=http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/2218.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504192157/http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/2218.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 May 2008 |title=Law altering Tamil new year day challenged |publisher=Sindh Today |access-date=18 October 2011 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.bombaynews.net/story/405674 |title=Court asks Tamil Nadu why change age-old New Year date |publisher=Bombay News.Net |date=12 September 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026085203/http://www.bombaynews.net/story/405674 |archive-date=26 October 2011 }} The then opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) in Tamil Nadu subsequently condemned the decision of the DMK Government in that state and urged their supporters to continue celebrating the traditional date in mid-April.{{cite web |url=http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20080412/930922.html |title=Jaya, Vaiko greet people, criticise change of New Year |publisher=News.webindia123.com |date=12 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213105838/http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20080412/930922.html |url-status=dead }} Tamils in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada continued to observe the new year in mid-April.{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=99&artid=25309 |title=14.04.08 Liberate Calendar |publisher=TamilNet |date=14 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=99&artid=25298 |title=13.04.08 Tamil New Year |publisher=TamilNet |date=13 April 2008 |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=25285 |title=12.04.08 Prime Minister of Canada greets Tamil New Year |publisher=TamilNet |access-date=18 October 2011}}{{cite web |url=http://www.groundreport.com/World/Sri-Lankan-sinha/2921787 |title=Sri Lankan Sinhalese And Tamil Community Celebrate Traditional New Year Tomorrow |publisher=GroundReport |date=13 April 2010 |access-date=18 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001205318/http://www.groundreport.com/World/Sri-Lankan-sinha/2921787 |archive-date=1 October 2011 }}

The previous state government in Tamil Nadu in an effort to placate popular sentiment announced that the same day will be celebrated as a new festival renamed as "Chittirai Tirunal" (the festival of Chittirai). The day remained a public holiday in Tamil Nadu under the DMK government, but not as Tamil new year, but purportedly to commemorate Dr. B.R Ambedkar, who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution. All television channels in Tamil Nadu, including the pro-DMK Sun TV, continued to telecast festive "Chittirai Tirunal Special Programs" on 14 April 2010. The leader of the AIADMK, Jayalalitha refused to recognize the repackaged festival, and felicitated the Tamil people for the traditional Tamil New Year. The MDMK leader Vaiko, followed suit.{{cite web|author=Sathyalaya Ramakrishnan reporting from Chennai |url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/04/14/tn-governor-and-leaders-greets-people-tamil-newyear |title=TN Governor and leaders greets people on Tamil NewYear |publisher=Asian Tribune |date=14 April 2010 |access-date=18 October 2011}} The controversy between the two dates subsided, the official celebrations during the traditional new year in April revived and the public holiday was restored as the Tamil New Year.{{cite web |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid%3D759496 |title=Tamil New Year Celebrated All Across State |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104045731/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=759496 |archive-date=4 January 2014 }}{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/law-on-tamil-new-year-was-enacted-for-publicity-says-jayalalithaa/article3312365.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=Law on Tamil New Year was enacted for publicity, says Jayalalithaa | date=14 April 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130415/news-current-affairs/article/tamil-year-vijaya-ushered-religious-fervour |title=Tamil year Vijaya ushered in with religious fervour |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104034254/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130415/news-current-affairs/article/tamil-year-vijaya-ushered-religious-fervour |archive-date=4 January 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/story/6870/jaya-to-present-tamil-awards-on-apr-15.html |title=Project SECURITY |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706233240/http://www.newkerala.com/news/story/6870/jaya-to-present-tamil-awards-on-apr-15.html |archive-date=6 July 2015 }}

Related festivals

Puthandu is celebrated elsewhere in India under different names commemorating the solar new year.{{cite web |title= BBC – Religion: Hinduism – Vaisakhi|publisher=BBC|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/vaisakhi.shtml |access-date=22 January 2012}}Crump, William D. (2014), [https://books.google.com/books?id=cDTfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide], MacFarland, page 114 Some examples include:

Vishu in Kerala
Bisu Parba in Tulunadu,
Vaisakhi in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Pana Sankranti in Odisha
Pohela Boishakh in West Bengal and Tripura
Rongali Bihu in Assam

However, this is not the universal new year for all Hindus. Lunar New Year celebrations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana's Ugadi & Maharashtra and Goa's Gudi Padwa, fall a few days before Puthandu. For those in Gujarat, the new year festivities coincide with the five-day Diwali festival.

=South Asia and Southeast Asia=

The same day every year is the new year for many Buddhist communities in parts of Southeast Asia such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, likely an influence of their shared Indic culture in the 1st millennium CE.

According to a 1957 publication by Gunasegaram, the new year celebrated in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Champa (Vietnam) is the Tamil New Year with roots in the practices of Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley civilization).Tamil cultural influences in South East Asia (1957) by Samuel Jeyanayagam Gunasegaram, Ceylon Printers p.18Tamil Culture, Band 6 (1957), Academy of Tamil Culture p.79 According to Nanacuriyan, this may be from the medieval era Tamil influence in Southeast Asia.An introduction to Tamil culture, Kirusna Nanacuriyan (1984), Institute for International Tamil Renaissance p.81

According to Jean Michaud and other scholars, the new year celebration traditions in Southeast Asian Massif have two roots. One is China, and this influence is found for example in Vietnam. This Sino-influenced community celebrates the new year in the first or second lunar month after the winter solstice in December. The second group of people in the Massif celebrate the new year in mid April, much like most of India. This group consists of northeastern Indians, northeastern Myanmar, the Khmer in Cambodia, Tai speakers of Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam and southern Yunnan.{{cite book|author1=Jean Michaud|author2=Margaret Byrne Swain|author3=Meenaxi Barkataki-Ruscheweyh|title=Historical Dictionary of the Peoples of the Southeast Asian Massif |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZksDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA284 |year=2016|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-7279-8|pages=178–179}} The festival is celebrated in the Massif in some ways unlike Puthandu. It is marked by an occasion to visit family and friends, splashing others with water (like Holi), drinking alcohol, as well as later wearing jewelry, new clothes and socializing. The new year festival is called regionally by different names: