Puthandu 2021: With curtailed celebrations, Tamil people usher in New Year

Puthandu's date is set with the solar cycle of the Hindu calendar as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, therefore it usually falls on around April 14 of every year on the Gregorian calendar.

People from the Tamilian community across the world are celebrating the Puthandu festival, which marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year.

Image courtesy: Flickr.com

Puthandu's date is set with the solar cycle of the Hindu calendar as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, therefore it usually falls on around April 14 of every year on the Gregorian calendar.

On this day, Tamil people meet their family members and greet each other by saying "Puthāaṇdu vāazhthugal!" which loosely translates to 'Happy New Year.' People also visit their local temples, light up diya at their home as they welcome a new year.

This year, the festival is being celebrated amid a raging second wave of Covid-19, hence festivities have been curbed.

Puthandu is widely celebrated in the Tamilian diaspora outside the country as well.

On Tuesday, President Ram Nath Kovind took to Twitter to extend his wishes on the occasion. "On the auspicious occasion of Puthandu Pirappu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha and Vaisakhadi, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all Indians living in India and abroad,” he wrote on Twitter.

"May the greatness of Tamil culture keep shining," it also said.