People from the Tamilian community across the world are celebrating the Puthandu festival, which marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year. Puthandu’s date is depending on the solar cycle of the Hindu calendar as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, hence it usually falls on around April 14 of every year on the Gregorian calendar.
Puthandu is widely celebrated in the Tamilian diaspora outside the country as well. On this day, Tamil people across the world 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.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted wishes on the micro-blogging site. “Puthandu greetings to Tamil sisters and brothers in Tamil Nadu and across the world!” text on an image posted by PM Modi read.
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