Which is the correct Tamil New Year, Thai-1 or Chithirai-1?
08.06.2025 07:37
Though there is no direct textual evidence that 500 Tamil scholars gathered at Pachaiappan College , Madras in 1921 and declared Thai 1 as Tamil new year based on Thiruvalluvar calendar, however, there was no denial from those Tamil scholars who are contemporary to Maraimalai adikal.
However, the sanathani Hindus who believed the prurani stories that the calendar, astrology and new year originated from their gods, kept blowing the trumpet that Chitrai 1 is the new year.
However, a 12th century AD scholar Natchinarkiniyar, after studying Tholkapiyam, exposed that during Tholkappiyam era, Avani 1 ( month of Simmam )was the beginning of the year.
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Thai - 1 is Tamil new year. Why ? There is textual evidence even way before the Dravidian politics introduced Thai 1 as the begining of Tamil New Year.
History provides evidence that the homeland of the Tamil came under the influence foreigners ( Greeks and Romans through trade relations) and people from the north, the Jains who used Prakrit and during this time there was voluntary assimilation of cultures and knowledge of astronomy. The Tamils could have pick up and adjusted their their calendar accordingly.
I have already established that way before the Dravidian politics showed love for Thai 1, the Tamil people in the villages have already given the status of Tamil new year to the Pongal festival.
In his book , The History and Culture of Tamil People' ( Tamil), KK Pillai states that around 4–5 century BCE, Tamils already established trade relations with Greeks, Romans, Scythians and Arabs. There were rows of settlements in Madurai for the Greeks and Romans.
The sangam literature Nedunalvadai vadai ( written somewhere around 2–3 century BCE), mentions that Mesham is the first month ( or first rasi ) from a point where the sun starts traversing to other rasi. This day is comparable with April in geregorian calendar. But even in Nedunalvadai nothing is mentioned about new year celebrations.
Spring is the season which marks the end of winter and beginning of blooming of flowers. While the Sun is right above our head during April in Tamil nadu, its pretty hot and the summer have killed some individuals, the northern hemisphere enjoys relatively cooler season where flowers bloom everywhere. They can call it aspring.
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( you can get free access to this article: http://DX.doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.1917.9718974)
This is the month a festival that the Tamils call it as summer festival ( KOdai Thiruvila) celebrated as this month is extremely hot all over Tamil nadu, water is scarce, not agriculture produce, and people rejoice ‘manjal neerattu' by throwing water after temple festivals.
Why these Chitrai 1 new year supporters keep relating summer festival to spring festival ,only God knows!
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In 1917, another article was published titled “Bull - baiting, Bull - Racing , Bull - Fights , Folklore”, written by W.Crooks.
I don't know why these Chitrai 1 scholars keep quoting Silapathikaram for evidence of Chitrai new year's antiquity. Sorry to say, don't over interpret.
The constellations , the group of stars is the called ‘orai' in Tamil, in Greek it is called ‘orion’ . Tamil traders had travelled from Tamil nadu to Greece and vise versa. So there was exchange of ideas of astronomy aside selling of goods.
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As for the Tamils, Thai -1 which falls on the 12th–14th of January invariably , based on solar calendar, is the day they celebrate in grand manner the Pongal Festival- relatable to New Year celebration. The village folks in TN welcome Thai- 1 as the day and month fully revered because this day would be the starting day for the many good fortunes that will follow here after.
Is there textual evidence that support the claim that Tamils celebrated 14 January , Pongal day as their new year ?
In 1917, a book was written and published by Major C.H Buck who was the Punjab Commission then, on “Faiths, Fairs, And Festivals of India”. At page 82, he writes
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In 1609, a catholic paderi, Nopili had stayed in Madurai Tamil nadu, and recorded his observations on the culture and life styles of the Tamils. Hence, you can download free from the internet archives the book.
In other words, what we understand is that the Tamils never took new year celebration seriously some 3000 thousand years ago. However, they had a calendrical system which was solar.
So, Thai 1 is our new year from those olden days, Chirai 1 was a later invention by astrologers and puranic followers .
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The 7–9 th century (AD) bakthi literature in Tamil also did not say a word about April 14 ( Chtrai -1) New Year celebrations, not acknowleding that it was an important time for Tamil people. However, the Alwar pasurams and Thevaram mentions about Margazhi fasting, Thiruvonam and Thaipusam. Where is Chitrai mentioned in those literature?
Yes, there is.
“கடைகால் யாத்த மிடைமரச் சோலை, கொடுப்போர் ஓதையும் கொள்வோர் ஓதையும், நடுக்கு இன்றி நிலையிய நாள் அங்காடியில், சித்திரைச் சித்திரைத் திங்கள் சேர்ந்தன, வெற்றிவேல் மன்னரற்கு உற்றதை ஒழிக்க எனத்,தேவர் கோமான் ஏவலிற் போந்த காவற் பூதத்துக் கடையெழு பீடிகைப் புழுக்கலும், நோலையும், விழுக்கு உடை மடையும், பூவும், புகையும், பொங்கலும் சொரிந்து, துணஙகையர் குரவையர் அணஙகு எழுந்து ஆடிப், பெருநில மன்னன் இருநிலை அடஙகலும், பசியும், பிணியும், பகையும் நீங்கி, வசியும், வளனும் சுரக்க என வாழ்த்தி, மாதர் கோலத்து வலவையின் உரைக்கும், மூதிற் பெண்டிர் ஓதையின் பெயர”
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The page 1 of the book says
“ Makara Sankranthi is thus a kind of New Year's festival, marking the the sun's attainment of the most southern point in the ecliptic, and the commencement of the northernly or what in the religious phraseology is called ‘Uttarayana'. Astronomically , it is New Year's day indeed, ……for Makara Sankranthi invariably falls between the 12th and 14th of January each year”
‘Thai Piranthal Vazhi Pirakkum' is a famous phrase among Tamils denoting the positive changes will happen here after.
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Tell me where is it mentioned about Tamil new year in Silapathikaram? Is Tamil new year currently celebrated on a full moon day in Chitrai?
Now let us see and inspect our own literatre.
So in 1950’s, the Pongal day, in January was considered the start of the Tamil New Year.Why there is sudden surgence and romance for Chitrai 1 as Tamil new year?
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Page 147 of the article says
What's so great about the beginning of Chitrai month?
“ Pongal ( a Tamil word meaning ‘ boiling' ) takes place at this time on the 1st day of Tamil Year. It is in honour of the birth of Mithras ( the Sun) and the renewal of the solar year. There is much rejoicing because the unlucky month of Poh is over, and the because each day of the ensuing month is regarded lucky”.
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Is it true that Maraimalai adikal, the Pure Tamil Movement initiator, announced Thai 1 as the begining of Tamil new year in 1921?
No sane Tamil man will celebrate a terribly hot summer day as the begining his New Year - when the ensuing days should bring fortune and luck. Of course during summer, some trees bloom with flowed and fruits like mango is obtained in abundance. This does not mean it is the day of spring.
The Silapathikaram, according to some quorans, is another source of evidence for Chitrai -1 as Tamil new year. Silathikaram did mention at many places about Tamil nadu, Tamil but never a word about Tamil New Year.
In fact we have textual evidence for the claim that Maraimalai adikal' s students, professor Ki. A, Pe,Visvanathan, endorsed Thai 1 as Tamil new year and it was refuted by Maraimalai adikal.
In 1918, prof A.C. Mukerji, from Muir Central College, Allahabath writes a book titled Hindu Fasts and Feasts. You can download free from internet archives.
The verses 61–75 in Silapathikaram, an epic in Tamil, speak about Chitrai star, Chitrai month and the full moon day. On this day, the women who belonged to the warrior clan, offered pongal( cooked rice) , ellurundai, flower, and sambrani pugai and worshiped a deity (பூதம்) and danced for the wellbeing of their their king.
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The oldest Tamil grammar book, Tholkapiyam written some 3000 years ago did not provide illustrations about new year celebrations held by Tamils on a particular day.
In 1917, if the British writer can acknowledge that Pongal day on Thai - 1 is the beginning of Tamil year (the New Year), then what makes the Tamil people in 2023 to reject it, just because you hate Dravidian movement, isn’t it ? Anyway, who told the British researchers to treat Pongal as Tamil new year. Don't tell me they made wild assumptions. If they did, then why Prof Mukerji also writes 12–14 January, the Makara Sankranthi, is new year?
Other Sangam (3r d BCE) and Bakti literature ( 5 th–9 th AD) also never uttered a word of new year celebrations.
Why sudden romance for Thai 1 New Year from the Dravidian party?
“ Other events and festivals unites the village as a whole. Chief of these are Pongal, the annual festival for the harvest of the second crop in January, and the day of the first ceremonial ploughing, at the start of the Tamil New Year.”
To say there is assimilation of culture and acceptance towards knowledge from other areas of India or even from the Greeks the presence of the Prakrit names for the months and years in Tamil calendar is the evidence.
For the opponents Thai -1, what's your reply for this? Is prof Mukerji a supporter of Dravidian idealogy?
“ In dealing with with a custom like this ( about Jallikattu) the date of the performance is of vital importance. In this case it is practiced on the Mattu- Pongal day, the day after the Pongal festival which held on the Tamil New Year's Day , approximately on 12 th January”.
Lately, the Tamil Chintanaiyalar Peravai which claims that everything that are made by man has its origin in Tamil civilization includes calendar and festivals. This Peravai labels the brahmins as Jews. According to this Peravai the knowledge of the Tamils were stolen by this brahmin Jews and later translated into Sanskrit. Believe it! Otherwise you are not a Tamil.
Another article was published in The Economic Weekly on May 24, 1952 written by Kathleen Gough, titled ‘The Social Structure of a Tanjore Village'. At page 584, it is written
God bless Tamils.