How Did It All Start?

Today, April 13th 2008, is Tamil New Year — Puthuvarusham — and it marks the beginning of a new year in the traditional Tamil calendar.

The Tamil Calendar

The Tamil Calendar follows a 60-year cycle, much like the Chinese calendar. Each of the 60 years carries its own name. The name of this year is Sarvadhari — you can find the full list of all 60 year names in the Jovian cycle article on Wikipedia.

The Morning Ritual

On Tamil New Year morning it is considered auspicious to look at gold and silver coins, fruits, and nuts arranged on a plate — viewed through a mirror before anything else. This ritual is called Kanni. A warm description of the early morning activities and the spirit of this tradition was written by a blogger known as Ambi Mama — their post from 2008 has been preserved and can be read via the Wayback Machine archive.

A local newspaper also carried a column titled An Aura of Auspiciousness describing how the Tamil New Year is celebrated — unfortunately that column has not survived in any accessible archive.

The Mukkani — Three Sacred Fruits

Tamil New Year also marks the start of the summer fruit season — traditionally called the Mukkani (three fruits): Maa (mango), Palaa (jackfruit), and Vaalai (banana). These three fruits ripening together is seen as a sign of the season turning and nature being generous.

At Home

We had a simple celebration at home this year. The festivities were modest but warm — the kind that matter most.

Festive Food

With every festival comes festive food. The signature dishes for Tamil New Year are:

• Sweet Mango Pachadi — a unique preparation that combines all six tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, spicy, and astringent) in a single dish, symbolising the full spectrum of experiences life brings in the year ahead
• Poli — a sweet flatbread made with lentil and jaggery filling, a beloved festive preparation across South India

Wishing everyone a prosperous and joyful new year — may Sarvadhari bring good things.