I came to know recently that our Chief Minister has passed a law in the Tamil Nadu Assembly which declares January 14 as the Tamil New Year’s Day from 2009. While this is absolutely, totally, completely whatever-ly ridiculous, it gives rise to an interesting confusion.
Surely, some of our paguththarivu pagalavans will follow the Chief Minister’s idea of the Tamil New Year. However, old fogeys like yours truly will still “cling to” tradition and observe April 14 (or Chithirai 1) as the New Year.
In effect, January 14 will be called the New Tamil New Year. But what of April 14? Will people call it the Old Tamil New Year? Or New Old Tamil New Year? Or New Tamil Old New Year?
Oh, and by the way, happy (Old) Tamil New Year to you!
P.S.: Are people in Tamil Nadu gritting their teeth at the loss of a holiday?
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When old fogeys gave up the seventh month as September and embraced it as the ninth month, and when they allowed Julius and Augustus Caesar to steal 2 days from poor February to add to their respective months of July and August respectively, I dont think there would be much of a trouble embracing any new change too
Touché!
The month thai is the starting of uthrayanam, ie, the sun starts moving towards north and there is nothing wrong in welcoming the sun and celebrating it as new year. In villages, people call margazhi as kazhividai month, ie, last or residual month. Further, the saying pazhayana kazhidhalum, pudhiyana pugudhalum is associated with the month thai. Does one require any move evidence to conclude that thai was once the beginning of the year? Of course, communal minds will never see reason. Let the caravan move on.