NEW YEAR
Chithirai is still fancied
R Swaminathan
Do you accept the first day in Tamil month Chithirai as the beginning of
the new year, this time Vikruti? Or do you prefer to swear that we should
go by the diktat of the TN government that January 14 (Thai Thirunaal) is
alone worthy of celebration by the Tamils? It was clear on Wednesday that
still many prefer to continue with the April start.
The Tamil Nadu government had declared that from 2009 the Tamil new year
would be celebrated on the first day of Thai coinciding with Pongal
festival. To placate the old timers, it was said it will be called
“Chithirai Thirunaal.”
In the Brahmin community, a new year is ushered in with the performance of
tharpan (offering of ablution) to ancestors. To specify when and why the
offering is made, the Brahmin devout clearly mention that they are doing
it to their forefathers on the occasion of Vasanta ruthu (spring season),
Mesha Masa, and the name of the year also figures here, as Vikruti. When
they do the same offering in January they extol the arrival of Uttarayana.
An archaka of a leading Kanchi temple pointed out that we should
distinguish between months in which category Chithirai falls and the
Uttarayana which begins in mid-January. For the year, we should go by the
months and not the movement of Sun.
The customary reading of almanac in most temples was there yesterday. May
be, official functions would be kept for January 14. When the new year is
in April in many northern and eastern states, not to mention countries
like Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, will the diktat be
taken back by the government? This can’t be answered now.
Date: Wed, April 14, 2010 8:06 pm
Chithirai is still fancied
R Swaminathan
Do you accept the first day in Tamil month Chithirai as the beginning of
the new year, this time Vikruti? Or do you prefer to swear that we should
go by the diktat of the TN government that January 14 (Thai Thirunaal) is
alone worthy of celebration by the Tamils? It was clear on Wednesday that
still many prefer to continue with the April start.
The Tamil Nadu government had declared that from 2009 the Tamil new year
would be celebrated on the first day of Thai coinciding with Pongal
festival. To placate the old timers, it was said it will be called
“Chithirai Thirunaal.”
In the Brahmin community, a new year is ushered in with the performance of
tharpan (offering of ablution) to ancestors. To specify when and why the
offering is made, the Brahmin devout clearly mention that they are doing
it to their forefathers on the occasion of Vasanta ruthu (spring season),
Mesha Masa, and the name of the year also figures here, as Vikruti. When
they do the same offering in January they extol the arrival of Uttarayana.
An archaka of a leading Kanchi temple pointed out that we should
distinguish between months in which category Chithirai falls and the
Uttarayana which begins in mid-January. For the year, we should go by the
months and not the movement of Sun.
The customary reading of almanac in most temples was there yesterday. May
be, official functions would be kept for January 14. When the new year is
in April in many northern and eastern states, not to mention countries
like Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, will the diktat be
taken back by the government? This can’t be answered now.
Date: Wed, April 14, 2010 8:06 pm
No comments:
Post a Comment