[page_title] English meaning of the festival Puthu means new and Aandu means year. Tamil people celebrate Puthaandu, also called Puthuvarudam, as the traditional New Year. How the date is decided annually This is the month of Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, and Puthaandu typically falls on 14 April. Significance of the festival to Hinduism Puthaandu marks [...]

[page_title] English meaning of the festivalHolika was the name of the lady who entered a blazing fire with her nephew Prahalad on her brother's instruction. Prahalad continuously chanted the name of Lord Narayana and came out unharmed, while Holika burnt to death. Thus, Holika Dahan derives its name from Holika. It is celebrated as [...]

[page_title] English meaning of the festivalMaha Shivaratri means "great night of Shiva".How the date is decided annuallyShivaratri is celebrated on the 14th night of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of Palguna.Significance of the festival to HinduismLord Shiva is in charge of the destruction of Tamasic qualities. Since the night is the image of Tamasic [...]

[page_title] English meaning of the festivalThai refers to the tenth month in the Tamil calendar and Poosam refers to the Pushya star. Thai Poosam combines the month's name and a star's name. Kavady is a pole slung across the shoulder to evenly distribute the weight of whatever is being carried on either end of [...]

[page_title] English meaning of the festivalThe tenth month in the Tamil calendar is referred to as Thai. Pongal means "boiling over" or "overflow". Thai Pongal symbolises the joy of a good harvest.How the date is decided annuallyIt is celebrated annually on the 15 January when the sun transits from Sagittarius to Capricorn.Significance of the [...]