Heritage news
Holy daysAIA’s Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka 2026 To Bring Indian Cultural Celebrations To CaliforniaHoly daysAssociation of Indo Americans Hosts Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka 2026 in PleasantonWeddingsA love story across continents ends in a packed Vietnamese village weddingCarnivalCelebrate Native American Day in Tulsa with concert, parade and moreWeddingsTill death do us part: Halloween puts a spooky spin on Las Vegas weddingsWeddingsAlmost two thirds of Brighton would opt for a ‘phone-free’ weddingTableFrom the royal table to street food, Cambodian chefs reviving Khmer culinary heritageCarnivalMiami Carnival brings Caribbean pageantry, cultural celebration to Central Broward ParkFestivals50 years of the Red River Revel: How a one-time celebration became a Shreveport traditionHoly daysBallston Quarter Diwali Celebration: Date, Activities And DetailsHoly daysAIA’s Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka 2026 To Bring Indian Cultural Celebrations To CaliforniaHoly daysAssociation of Indo Americans Hosts Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka 2026 in PleasantonWeddingsA love story across continents ends in a packed Vietnamese village weddingCarnivalCelebrate Native American Day in Tulsa with concert, parade and moreWeddingsTill death do us part: Halloween puts a spooky spin on Las Vegas weddingsWeddingsAlmost two thirds of Brighton would opt for a ‘phone-free’ weddingTableFrom the royal table to street food, Cambodian chefs reviving Khmer culinary heritageCarnivalMiami Carnival brings Caribbean pageantry, cultural celebration to Central Broward ParkFestivals50 years of the Red River Revel: How a one-time celebration became a Shreveport traditionHoly daysBallston Quarter Diwali Celebration: Date, Activities And Details
EveryParampara

Next: 14 Apr 2027

Puthandu

The Tamil new year: mango pachadi, kolam, temple visits and the first look at auspicious things.

Puthandu: Puthandu is the traditional Tamil new year. The calendar and day migrated from Indian Tamils to Sri Lanka and southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE.
Photo: Amila Tennakoon, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When is Puthandu in 2027?

Puthandu 2027 is on Wednesday, 14 April 2027. Other years: 2026, Tuesday, 14 April 2026; 2028, Friday, 14 April 2028.

About Puthandu

Puthandu falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Chithirai, usually 14 April. Families clean their homes, draw fresh kolam at the entrance and set up a tray with fruits, flowers, gold and a mirror, the kanni, to be seen first thing in the morning. They bathe, wear new clothes and visit temples; the Meenakshi temple in Madurai holds its chariot festival around this time. A meal with raw mango pachadi, which tastes sweet, sour and bitter at once, is served. Elders give gifts, and in Sri Lanka the Tamil new year is shared with the Sinhalese festival, with games and oil bathing.

Puthandu dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearPuthandu date
2026Tuesday, 14 April 2026
2027Wednesday, 14 April 2027
2028Friday, 14 April 2028

What is eaten

  • mango pachadi
  • vadai
  • payasam

Traditions of Puthandu

KolamThe floor drawing at the door.

Also part of it, and being written: Tamil calendar (The solar calendar that starts the year.), Chithirai Festival (The Madurai temple festival of the season.).

More marked on Puthandu

🇮🇳 Madurai, India and 4 morePuthanduபுத்தாண்டு (Puttāṇṭu) The first day of the Tamil solar calendar, celebrated by Tamils with family feasts and auspicious trays.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Puthandu" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.