Tamil calendar · Chennai
Tamil New Year 2026 — Puthandu
Puthandu, the Tamil New Year, is on Tuesday, 14 April 2026 (Chennai): Chithirai 1, when the Parabhava year begins.
தமிழ்ப் புத்தாண்டு 2026
Puthandu 2026
- Date
- Tuesday, 14 April 2026சித்திரை 1 · Chithirai 1
- Year that begins
- பராபவ ParabhavaPrevious year: VisuvasuShaka 1948 · Thiruvalluvar 2057
- Mesha sankranti (Sun enters Aries)
- 14 Apr 2026, 9:32 AM
- Sunset (Chennai)
- 14 Apr 2026, 6:21 PM
This year the Sun enters Aries before sunset (or in the night before), so Chithirai begins on this date.
Rule: The first day of the Tamil solar month Chithirai: the day the Sun enters sidereal Aries if before sunset, else the next day.
Festivals of Chithirai
- 14 AprTuesdayதமிழ்ப் புத்தாண்டு · Puthandu (Tamil New Year)
- 19 AprSundayஅட்சய திருதியை · Akshaya Thiruthiyai
- 1 MayFridayசித்ரா பௌர்ணமி · Chitra Pournami
How the day is kept
On the eve, many homes arrange a tray of fruit, flowers, gold, a mirror and betel for the kanni, the first sight of the new year in the morning. The day begins with an oil bath, new clothes and a kolam at the door.
Families visit temples and cook a meal with all six tastes — mango pachadi, sweet, sour and bitter together, for the year's mixed fortunes. Almanacs are read for the new year (panchanga padanam).
Madurai's Chithirai festival runs through this month, with the celestial wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar and Kallazhagar's entry into the Vaigai around Chitra Pournami; the temple announces its own days.
Questions
What is the date of the Tamil New Year in 2026?
14 April 2026 (Tuesday), by Chennai's sunset.
What is the sankranti time of Puthandu 2026?
The Sun enters sidereal Aries at 14 Apr 2026, 9:32 AM (IST). That is before sunset (or in the night before it), so Puthandu is on that date.
What is the name of the Tamil year beginning in 2026?
Parabhava, in the cycle of sixty years. The year before was Visuvasu.