Springing Ahead to the New Year

We are starting off with holidays, and in honor of today I am writing about Tamil New Year. Celebrated every year on April 14, this festival fall on the day of the spring equinox, marking the first day of spring. According to ancient literature from this culture, the Sun starts to travel on this day, during what is known as the first of the Chithirai month.

For many people in South India this day represents new starts and new opportunities. The belief is that the first thing one sees on that day will set the tone for the rest of the year, which is the reasoning behind one of the customs on that day when the first things they make sure they see are the Hindu gods through a mirror, a very auspicious sight. People will clean their houses, prepare trays of fruits and flowers, and visit temples on this auspicious day in order to not only spend more time with family but to help foster good habits for the new year.

Special dishes are also created specially for this day, a popular one being “Mangai Pachadi”. This dish is a mixture of all different tastes including sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. This is meant to symbolize the various emotions in life. It is also said that eating this dish on Tamil New Years will help to bring peace and harmony to one’s life – now that’s a dish I would like to try! Along with this dish other traditional foods such as vadai, sambhar, rice, payasam, papad, vegetable curry, fresh mango pickle and curd are all included as well.

This South Indian tradition places value in family, fresh starts, and the focus on balance and peace. Tying it all together is the delicious food shared with loved ones. Happy Tamil New Year!

Saranya Shiva-Shankar