When is Tamil New Year 2021

Tamil New Year denotes the first day of the year according to the Tamil calendar. This calendar follows a 60-year cycle, with the first month of every Tamil year called Chithirai. It commences on April 14th of the Gregorian (solar) calendar. The current 60-year cycle began in 1987 and will end in 2047. This cycle is marked by five revolutions of Jupiter and two revolutions of Saturn, with each year beginning with the month of Chithirai.

The festive day signifies the first day of Chithirai, the first month of the Tamil year. The date for this auspicious day follows the Spring or Vernal Equinox and usually falls on April 14th. Tamil New Year 2021 falls on April 14th Wednesday. According to the solar Hindu calendar, the date indicates the Moon phase and the time of the solar year. So, invariably, it falls almost on the same date every year.

The Tamil Panchangam is an integral part of Tamil culture. On this day, the Sun enters the Mesha Rashi in the month of Chithirai, the first month in the Tamil calendar. There are 27 Nakshatras (stars) in Vedic Astrology, beginning with Ashwathi through Revathi. The star Ashwathi begins in the Mesham Rashi in Chithirai month. So, the Tamil New Year begins in Chithirai.

There are several mentions about the significance of Tamil New Year day in Tamil literature. According to the author of the Sangam period, Nakkirar, the Sun travels from Mesha/Chithirai through the eleven successive zodiac signs occurring on this day. The Tolkaapiyam, the most ancient Tamil grammar and surviving work of Tamil literature, divides the year into six seasons, in which Chithirai marks the beginning of summer. The Silappadikaaram, an ancient and unique Tamil epic, mentions the 12 Rashis (zodiac signs), beginning with Mesha/Chithirai. 
The Tamil language is believed to be one of the oldest surviving classical languages and has one of the world's greatest classical traditions and literature. The earliest Tamil Sangam literature has been documented for over 2000 years.

According to the Tamil solar calendar, if Sankranti happens after sunrise and before sunset, New Year's Day is considered. If it happens after sunset, the next day is celebrated as Puthandu. It is also called Varsha Pirappu (birth of the year).

The festivities are marked with the cleaning of the home, an early start to the day, holy bath, decorating the home and premises, arranging the pooja room, offering prayers and worship, preparation of traditional dishes, and making sweet delicacies, special dishes, and greeting family, friends, relatives, and neighbors. The day is marked with positivity, joy, and an auspicious start to the New Year.

People across Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora worldwide greet each other saying, "Happy Tamil New Year." It is a day of auspiciousness that marks the commencement of Tamil festivals down the line, of new beginnings, aspirations, and hopes. This day is marked with joy, festivities, coming together of family and community, a day of prayer and reverence, purity, and worship, of eating and being together. It is the day when people prepare to welcome Goddess Lakshmi, the Supreme Goddess of wealth, prosperity, and auspiciousness, into their homes.
People celebrate the festival with joy, religious zeal, and enthusiasm, as the auspicious day shows the way forward for good things to come.