Ganesha & the family deity
Puthandu
Tamil new year: a tray of gold, mirror, and mango seen at first light.
Tithi: Chithirai 1, the Tamil solar new year.
In the simplest words
Tamil New Year: a tray of gold, fruit and mirror seen first thing at dawn, new clothes, and a fresh start with the almanac read aloud.
The story & purpose
Puthandu, 'new year', opens the month of Chithirai. Like Kerala's kani, Tamil homes set a kanni tray the night before: gold, betel, mirror, fruits, and flowers, seen first on waking so the year begins with fullness.
The rest of the story
The table carries maanga pachadi, raw mango cooked with jaggery, neem flower, chilli, salt, and tamarind. Sweet, bitter, hot, salty, sour, and the mango's own astringency make six tastes in one dish. The new year is tasted whole, and welcomed whole.
What is done
Kanni darshan
The auspicious tray seen at first light; then a bath and new clothes.
Panchangam padithal
The new year's almanac read aloud in the temple or by elders at home.
Maanga pachadi
The six-taste dish offered first to the deity, then shared.
Ganesha vandana
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah before the year's first undertakings.
Best timings
Kanni at dawn; panchangam reading in the morning hours.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
'Puthandu vazthukal!' is the greeting of the day.
Madurai's Chithirai festival, with Meenakshi's celestial wedding, fills this month.
Sri Lanka's Tamil and Sinhala communities keep the same solar day as Aluth Avurudda.