Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve in Sri Lanka in 2025

Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve in Sri Lanka in 2025
  How long until Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve?
Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve
  Dates of Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve in Sri Lanka
2026 Apr 13, Apr 14
Sri LankaTue, Apr 14National Holiday
Sri LankaMon, Apr 13National Holiday
2025 Apr 13, Apr 14, Apr 15
Sri LankaTue, Apr 15Not A Public Holiday
Sri LankaMon, Apr 14National Holiday
Sri LankaSun, Apr 13National Holiday
2024 Apr 12, Apr 13, Apr 15
Sri LankaMon, Apr 15National Holiday (in lieu)
Sri LankaSat, Apr 13National Holiday
Sri LankaFri, Apr 12National Holiday
2023 Apr 13, Apr 14
Sri LankaFri, Apr 14National Holiday
Sri LankaThu, Apr 13National Holiday
2022 Apr 11, Apr 12, Apr 13, Apr 14
Sri LankaThu, Apr 14National Holiday
Sri LankaWed, Apr 13National Holiday
Sri LankaTue, Apr 12National Holiday
Sri LankaMon, Apr 11National Holiday
  Summary

The day before Sinhala and Tamil New Year

  Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve in other countries
Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve internationally
  Which regions observe Tamil New Year in 2025?
National Holiday Regional Holiday Not a public holiday Govt Holiday
  Sri LankaApr 13, Apr 14

Sinhala and Tamil New Year Eve in Sri Lanka

Called Aluth Avurudda in Sinhala and Puthandu in Tamil, New Year's Day is a statutory holiday in Sri Lanka.

When is Tamil New Year?

Puthandu is the Tamil New Year's Day.

It is a public holiday in Sri Lanka and in India, it is a public holiday in many regions.

The Tamil year starts on April 14th in the Gregorian calendar. It is similar to the Vernal Equinox which is usually celebrated on or around March 21st. The date differs due to the position of the Tamil region in the northern hemisphere and some ancient and impressive astronomical observations involving the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.

Though not purely a religious festival, Puthandu does hold special significance to Hindus as it is said to be the day that the Hindu god of creation, Lord Brahma, started creation.

Tamil New Year’s Day is celebrated on the first day of Chithirai - the first month in the Tamil Calendar and is also known as Varusha Pirappu.

Sri Lankan Customs

To mark the new year, everyone in the country celebrates by wearing light golden clothes and turning towards the east.

The rituals include milk rice mixed with curd as well as sweetmeats with undu flour at specific propitious times of the morning.

In Sri Lanka, the day is the time of the traditional first ploughing of the ground to mark the start of the new agricultural season.

It is a tradition that the first financial transaction of the year is when elders give gifts of money to the unmarried young, as a sign of good luck.

Sinhalese New Year

In Sri Lanka, the public holidays for Tamil New Year also recognise that this is also Sinhalese New Year. Like Tamil New Year, it marks the end of the harvest and the arrival of spring as indicated by the sun moving from Meena Rashiya ( Pisces) to Mesha Rashiya (Aries).


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