The Tamil New Year/Puthandu  also known as “Varusha Pirappu” is celebrated in Chitterai, which is the first month of Tamil calendar(April 12th 2012) and the name of the year is “Nandana”.

The panchangam (new almanac) is published at this time and begins from  this day in April. The important ritual on this day is reading of new almanac. (Puthu Panchangam vaasiththal).Traditionally, this is done by the family pundit.

This festival is celebrated with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm all over Tamil Nadu. On the New Year the court yard of houses are decorated with colourful Kolam. Special pujas will be held in temples on the New Year. Visiting temples and worshipping deities are the most important features of the New Year celebration. Panchaga Padanam will be held in the Temples. According to the Hindu mythology, it is believed that on this day the Creation of the world was started by Lord Brahma.

Puthandu/ Tamil New Year is also a day of feasting. There will be a traditional feast with vadai, paayasam and poli.  April is the season for raw mangoes and neem flowers.  A special dish called”Mango pachchadi “is served for lunch. It is made of new jaggery, raw mango pieces and neem flowers and new tamarind. The neem, bitter in taste, and jaggery sweet and delicious, signify the two conflicting aspects of human life – joy and sorrow, success and failure, ecstasy and agony. The scientific fact is that neem flowers and raw mangoes cleanse the body of toxins. Puthandu also marks the beginning of the agricultural season in the region and the first tilling of land is done on this day.

Astronomical significance of the Tamil New Year

It is a well known fact that the Earth travels in an elliptical orbit around the Sun through 360 degrees and the time period for one such travel around the Sun is called a YEAR. The circumference of the eliptical path traced by the Earth having the Sun as the central point – is divided into twelve arcs, and the angular segments traced by each arc measuring 30 degress is called a House (Veedu in Tamil or Rasi in Sanskrit). The period of traversal of the Sun through each Veedu or Raasi is known as a Month.  The names of these houses are as follows:

Meda Veedu
Idapa Veedu
Mithuna Veedu
Kataka Veedu
Singa Veedu
Kanni Veedu
Thula Veedu
Virutchika Veedu
Thanu Veedu
Makara Veedu
Kumba Veedu and Meena Veedu

The time the Sun enters the “Meda or Mesha Veedu” or Raasi was traditionally taken as the starting point of the New Year by the Tamils.

Malayalam New Year 2012 (Vishu)

In India, the Tamil New Year and Vishu are celebrated on the same day respectively in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In some parts of Southern Tamil Nadu, it is also called Chithrai Vishu. Vishu is not traditionally celebrated as New Year in the Malayalam Calendar. In the Malayalam Calendar, the New Year starts on the first day of Chingam. However people in the Malabar area consider Vishu as the astrological New Year.

Vishu is celebrated with much fanfare and vigour in all parts of Kerala. The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani. Vishukkani means sighting the most auspicious things at dawn on the Vishu day for luck throughout the year. Lord Krishna’s idol is decorated and new clothes, coins, gold ornaments, silver, fruits, vegetables, dhaanyam (cereals), konna flower, coconut, mirror, kumkum, Nilavilakku etc are placed in the puja room and people wake up to this sight on Vishu and seek the blessings of God.

Another famous ritual on Vishu is the Vishukkaineetam. Vishukkaineetam means gifting money  by elders to the members of the household.

Chithirai Festival in Madurai

The two week long Chithirai Festival is one of the biggest celebrations in Madurai. It re-enacts the wedding of Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Goddess Meenakshi (Lord Vishnu’s sister).

Every year in the month of Chithrai, in the temple city of Madurai, the Chithrai Thiruvizha is celebrated. Thousands of devotees gather at Meenakshi Temple of Madurai to offer puja to their worshipping Goddess Chithirai Festival is a great opportunity to experience  life in Madurai. It attracts crowds of people, who flock to Madurai from surrounding areas. The festival is celebrated with a great deal of excitement and hype -with the enthusiasm of a real wedding. A huge exhibition is also held, called Chithrai Porutkaatchi.

The festival of Ram Navami is celebrated as the birthday of the Hindu God Rama, who is believed to be one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. According to the Hindu calendar, it falls on the ninth day of the Chaitra month, which is the spring season. Though Rama Navami is a major festival which celebrates birth of Lord Rama, it is widely celebrated by the worshippers of Shiva, too.

Legend:

The Ramayana is a story of Lord Rama, written by the sage Valmiki in the 4th century B.C.  As the legend goes, Lord Rama, eldest son of King Dashratha, was banished to the forest for 14 long years. He was dethroned due to his stepmother’s plans who wanted to see her son Bharata ascend the throne in place of the elder brother Rama. Rama willingly gave away the throne and his wife Sita and brother Lakshman followed Rama to the forest, leaving the throne for Bharata.

In these 14 years of banishment, Rama waged and won a war against the evil Ravana, the King of Lanka, who had kidnapped his wife Sita. He was aided by a band of monkeys, the most loyal of whom is worshipped today as Lord Hanuman. Rama ascended the Ayodhya throne after the triumph over Ravana. Even as he started ruling, he was forced to banish his wife from the kingdom, following a villager’s adverse comment about her association with Ravana. The legend is cited to prove how Lord Rama always lived a life of righteousness (dharma). He was born to destroy the evil and protect the weak. As he embodies the highest ideals of man, he is called the Maryada Pushottam, which means the perfect and best man, someone who follows the path of righteousness against all odds.

Rama is one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, and one of the two most popular, along with Krishna. Consequently, Rama Navami is widely celebrated, though not on the scale of festivals like Diwali or Dussehra.

According to legend, Rama was born at noon. Rama is the epitome of perfection, the uttama purusha, fulfilling all his duties towards both family and subjects.

It is believed that listening to the story of Rama cleanses the soul. Meditating on the noble Rama and chanting his name is believed to ease the pains of life and lead one to moksha, or liberation. It is also common practice to chant the name of Rama while rocking babies to sleep.

Significance:

Though Rama Navami is a major festival for Vaishnavites, it is widely celebrated by worshippers of Shiva, too. It is considered auspicious to undertake a fast on the day in the name of Rama. The more devout fast for nine days, from Ugadi to Rama Navami. The objective of the fast is not to ask for special favours of the deity but to seek perfection as a human being. Devotees perform elaborate pujas and chant the name of Rama. Temples of Rama have special services and bhajan sessions through the day.

One significant and popular element of the celebration is the Ramayana parayana, a discourse on the Ramayana, by a pundit or a professional story-teller. It usually lasts nine days, beginning on Ugadi and ending on Rama Navami. A skilled story-teller who can liven up the event by weaving in contemporary events attracts massive crowds.

Since Rama is also one of the most sung-about deities in Indian classical music and literature, week-long (and sometimes, month-long) musical programmes are organised.

Sacred places associated with Rama, like Ayodhya, Ujjain and Rameshwaram, draw tens of thousands of devotees. In Rameshwaram, thousands take a ritual bath in the sea before worshipping at the Ramanathaswamy temple.

Many places in North India host fairs in connection with the festival, culminating in spectacular fireworks on Rama Navami.

At some places they also perform Sita Rama Kalyanam (marriage of Lord SriRama and Goddess Sita). One such place where Sita Rama Kalyanam is performed on a grand scale on this day is at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradeshon the banks of river Godavari. It is also a tradition in some areas where people offer sweet drink (water mixedwith jaggery, cloves, pepper and lemon juice) called Panakam and Moong Dal(soaked) called Kosambari as Naivedya to Lord Sri Rama and distribute the same to the devotees at temples.

Maha Shivaratri is a festival celebrated every year in reverence of lord Shiva. Maha Shivaratri literally means the great night of Shiva. It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Maagha month of  Hindu. It is celebrated in the dark fortnight or Krishna Paksha (waning moon) of the month of Maagha.  The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael or Vilva leaves to Lord Shiva, daylong fasting and an all night long vigil.

After creation was complete, Parvati asked Lord Shiva which devotees and rituals pleased him the most. The Lord replied that the 13th night of the new moon, during the month of Maagha, is his most favourite day. Parvati repeated these words to her friends, from whom the word spread over all creation.

The Story Of King Chitrabhanu

Once upon a time King Chitrabhanu of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who ruled over the whole of Jambudvipa (India), was observing a fast with his wife, it being the day of Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came on a visit to the court of the king.

The sage asked the king the purpose of his observing the fast. King Chitrabhanu explained that he had a gift of remembering the incidents of his past birth, and in his previous life he had been a hunter in Varanasi and his name was Suswara. His only livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. The day before the new moon, while roaming through forests in search of animals, he saw a deer, but before his arrow flew he noticed the deer’s family and their sadness at its impending death. So he let it live. He had still not caught anything when he was overtaken by nightfall and climbed a tree for shelter. It happened to be a Bael (vilva) tree. His canteen leaked water, so he was both hungry and thirsty. These two torments kept him awake throughout the night, thinking of his poor wife and children who were starving and anxiously waiting for his return. To pass away the time he engaged himself in plucking the vilva leaves and dropping them down onto the ground.

The next day he returned home and bought some food for himself and his family. The moment he was about to break his fast a stranger came to him, begging for food. He served the food first to stranger and then had his own.

At the time of his death, he saw two messengers of Lord Shiva, sent to conduct his soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. He learnt then for the first time of the great merit he had earned by unconscious worship of Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. The messengers told him that there had been a Shiva Lingam at the bottom of the tree. The leaves he dropped had fallen on the Lingam, in imitation of its ritual worship. The water from his leaky canteen had washed the Lingam (also a ritual action), and he had fasted all day and all night. Thus, he unconsciously had worshipped the Lord. As the conclusion of the tale the King said that he had lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for a long time before being reborn as Chitrabhanu. This story is narrated in the Garuda Purana.

This is why Hindus do not eat meat on Maha Shivarati. It is thought that those who fast on the evening of Maha Shivaratri will please Lord Shiva and also be granted a blessing.

Rituals of Maha Shivratri

Pashupatinath Temple (Kathmandu, Nepal) one of the most important shrines of Lord Shiva hosts one of the biggest gatherings on Maha Shivaratri. Hindu worshippers all over the world gather at Pashupati to perform pilgrimage. Worshippers must wait in line for hours to present their offerings at the temples. Tripundra refers to the three horizontal stripes of holy ash applied to the forehead by worshippers of Lord Shiva. These stripes symbolise spiritual knowledge, purity and penance, so also they represent the three eyes of Lord Shiva.

Wearing a rosary made of rudrakshas (said to have sprung from the tears of Lord Shiva) when worshipping Lord Shiva is ideal

On Shivaratri, only cold water and bael leaves are offered to the Lingam. Other traditional offerings, such as bathing Him in milk and Panchamruta (milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey -symbols of sustenance) one after the other, or anointing Him with vermilion (kumkum) or white consecrated rice (Akshata) (symbols of fertility, or creation), are done on this day, when Lord Shiva is worshipped as the deity of dissolution. Chanting the Rudram is considered very auspicious.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivaratri worship should incorporate six items: offering vilva leaves to the deity after giving it a ceremonial bath, which represents purification of the soul; applying vermilion paste on the linga after bathing it, which represents virtue; offering food, which is conducive to longevity and the gratification of desires; lighting incense, which yields wealth; lighting an oil lamp, which signifies the attainment of knowledge; and offering betel leaves, which marks satisfaction with worldly pleasures. These six items form an indispensable part of the Mahashivaratri worship, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship.

Mahashivaratri in Southern India

Mahashivaratri is celebrated widely in the temples all over Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Shiva is considered the Adi (first) Guru from whom the yogic tradition originates. According to tradition, the planetary positions on this night are such that there is a powerful natural upsurge of energy in the human system. It is said to be beneficial for one’s physical and spiritual wellbeing to stay awake throughout the night. On this day, artists from various fields such as music and dance perform the whole night.

Sahasrakalasabishekam

This is a very special and rare puja conducted during 10 days of Mahasivarathri festival. It is well known that Lord Siva is abhishekapriya (lover of ablutions). Lord Parasurama and Kroshta Muni, during their worship of the Lord here, are believed to have bathed the deity with Sahasrakalasam or a thousand pots of holy water according to Vedic rites. Now during Mahasivarathri festival days the Head Priest (Thanthri) and his team perform this puja. It is a ten day function, each day an offering of 101 Kalasam or pots of holy water (100 being made of silver, while one is made of gold), surcharged with mantras recited by learned Brahmins seated on the Mukhamantapam. These are poured on the deity, the golden pot Brahmakalasam being the last one. A magnificent light is the indication or identity of Lord Shiva and the Shiva Lingam is considered to be the symbol of it. Hence, the formal worship on Maha Shivaratri consists of bathing the Shiva Lingam. Lord Shiva is said to be burning with the fire of austerity and so only those items are offered to Him that have a cooling effect. A cool water bath is believed to propitiate Him best. There is a belief among devotees that participation in Sahasrakalasam and offering holy worship materials, will lead to blessings with prosperity and peaceful life. Hundreds of devotees thronging the shrine with chants of “Namah Shivaya”, “Hara hara Mahadeva”, and “Sambho Mahadeva”. This year Mahasivarathiri is observed on 20^th February, 2012 in all of South India’s temples.

Sivarathri Nrutham

Sivarathri Nrutham at Thrikkuratti temple, according to religious scholars, resembles the cosmic dance of Shiva, called ‘Anandatandava,’ meaning, ‘the Dance of Bliss’ symbolizing the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy – creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion.

The Priest keeps sheeveli vigraha (idol) fixed on a decorated frame on his head. He makes seven circumambulations on Pradakshina Vazhi (holy walkway made of granite around Sanctum Santorum). When the fifth round is reached at the west nada (Parvathi nada), the door opens for just 10 minutes. This is an annual ceremony. Thousands of Pilgims rush to have a glance of this auspicious moment. At this time all the pradakshina vazhi will be lit with camphor and brass temple lamps by thousands of devotees who stay awake through the night while chanting “Nama Sivaya”, “Hara Hara Mahadeva” and “Sambho Mahadeva”. Devotees sing “Hara sankara siva sankara duritham kala sivane”. In this enlightened serene mood, the Priest performs Nrutham and runs the pradakshina vazhi towards the east nada. During the next two rounds he accepts “Valiya kanikka”. The Sivarathri Nrutham is followed by the well known magnificent display of fireworks.

Mahasivarathri Procession

On Sivarathri day evening a grand procession starts from Kadapra Kainikkara Temple. It includes  several decorated floats, Kaavadi Aaatam, Mayilattom, Amman Kudom, Thaiyyam, Vela Kali, Kuthiyotta Chuvadu, richly caparisoned elephants and folk art forms etc. It attracts thousands of devotees and tourists. When the main procession reaches Market Junction, other mini processions from Kurattikkadu Mutharamman Temple, Kurattissery Kannamkavil Mutharamman Temple, Thrippavoor Mahavishnu Temple, Vishavarsherikkara Subrahmanya Swami temple and Alumoodu Sivaparvathy Temple join and make the procession more vibrant. The magical effect of the Sinakari melam and Panchavadyam, a combination of five percussion and wind instruments is to be felt and enjoyed. Among the varieties of festivals celebrated in Kerala, Thrikkuratti Sivarathri Procession is one of the most spectacular. It is an expression of popular fascination for sound and colour, and because of the pageantry, it appeals to all. Once the procession reaches the temple, Deeparadhana is followed by colourful display of fireworks.

Panchaakshari

Shiva, as the god of destroying evil, is the third among the divine trinity of Hindu mythology. The holy mantra consisting of five-syllables: “Na” “Ma” “Shi” “Vaa” “Ya” (Om NamaH Shivaaya) in praise of Lord Shiva is chanted incessantly on special occasions like Shivaratri. His thousands of names, each of which describe His greatness, are also be chanted. Shiva means “auspicious”. As Shankara, He is the giver of happiness to all. Nataraja (the king of dancers) is a favourite form adored by dancers and musicians.

Legends of Pongal

All the festivals have some interesting legends associated with it. Pongal, the much awaited festival of South India particularly Tamil Nadu also has interesting legends associated with it. The most popular legends attached to Pongal celebration:

Legend of Mount Govardhan

The first day of the festival Bhogi Pongal has an association with legend of Lord Indra  (the God of clouds and rains) and Lord Krishna. Earlier, people used to worship Lord Indra who was the King of the deities. This honor given to Lord Indra made him full of pride and arrogance. He thought himself to be the most powerful of all the beings. When child Krishna came to know about this he thought of a plan to teach him a lesson. He persuaded his cowherd friends to worship Mt. Govardhan rather than Lord Indra. This angered Lord Indra and he sent forth the clouds to generate non-stop thunder, lightning, heavy rains and flood the land. As per the tale, Lord Krishna lifted the huge Govardhan Parvat on his little finger to protect the cowherds and the cattle. He kept standing with the lifted mount to save all the humans from the ravaging storm of Lord Indra. The rains continued for three days and at last Indra realized his mistake and divine power of Lord Krishna. He promised humility and begged Krishna’s forgiveness. Since then, Krishna allowed to let the Bhogi celebrations continue in honor of Indra. Thus, the day gave the origin to the Pongal celebration. The festival got another name of Indran from his legendary story. Lord Indra is worshiped for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. This day is also known as Indran. Thus, Bhogi festival or Bhogi is the first day of Pongal and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, “the God of Clouds and Rains”.

Legend of Lord Shiva

Another legend associated with the festival relates to Lord Shiva. The third day of Pongal known as Mattu Pongal involves Lord Shiva and his mount, Nandi (Basava), the bull. According to the legend, Lord Shiva once asked his bull to go to the Earth and deliver his message to the people to have an oil massage and bath daily and to eat food once a month. Mistakenly,  Basava announced to have an oil massage and bath once a month and to eat food daily. Enraged Shiva cursed Basava and said that due to this mistake there would be lack of grains on the Earth. He banished the bull to live on earth forever and help people plough the fields. Thus, Mattu Pongal has an association with the cattle. It is also called Kanu Pongal.

Pongal Celebrations

Pongal is dedicated to the sun god, Surya and has its roots in ancient Brahminical tradition. Since Pongal is a rural, agrarian based festival that celebrates the harvests, the sun is a vital part of the proceedings. This is because the Sun is the symbol of life on Earth. Without the Sun, crops cannot sprout and grow. Without the Sun, harvests will not be plentiful.

The preparation of Pongal festival is quite elaborate and starts several days before the actual date of celebration. Pongal is one such festival in which not only people are charged up, but animals also join in the Pongal preparation. People get busy decking up their houses, discarding old and unwanted things. Many of them get busy giving a fresh coat of paint to their homes.

The festival is spread over three days and is the most important and most fervently-celebrated harvest festival of South India. A special puja is performed on the first day of Pongal before the cutting of the paddy. Farmers worship the sun and the earth by anointing their ploughs and sickles with sandal wood paste. It is with these consecrated tools that the newly-harvested rice is cut.
Each of the four days are marked by different festivities.

The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is in honor of Indra the god of rain
There are many legends told about this day. The day begins with a til (sesame) oil bath and in the evening there is a bonfire in which all the rubbish in the house is burnt.
On Bhogi all people clean out their homes from top to bottom, and collect all unwanted goods. This day is meant for domestic activities and of being together with the family members.
All the houses from the richest to the humblest are thoroughly scrubbed and whitewashed. Homes are cleaned and decorated with “Kolam” – floor designs drawn in the white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud. Often pumpkin flowers are set into cow-dung balls and placed among the patterns. Fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought in from the field as preparation for the following day.

Surya Pongal, the second day, is dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun God. The newly harvested rice is cooked with milk and Jaggery in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over, signifying plenty and prosperity for the year ahead. People gather around the pot when the milk boils and shout in joy  “Pongalo Pongal, Pongalo Pongal” Then the cooked pongal  is offered to the Sun God and taken as prasad. New clothes for the family is a must, and gifts are bestowed to all relatives, especially newly married couples and babies.

The third day of Pongal, Mattu Pongal, is for worship of the cattle. Cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, and decorated with bells, seashells, and beads. They are garlanded and taken out around the village in a procession. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry.  The Pongal that has been offered to the Gods is then given to cattle and birds to eat.

The fourth day of the three-day Pongal celebrations is called Kaanum Pongal. In few places this day is also known as Karinaal or Thiruvalluvar Day. This day is very similar to Rakhsa Bandhan and Bhai Dhuj in that it is predominantly a festival where women offer prayers for the wellbeing of their brothers. The women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning. All the women, young and old, of the house, assemble in the courtyard.  They also seek blessings from the elders (women) in the house with turmeric anointed on their forehead.  After this, different colored rice (yellow, red, white and jaggery color) is placed in the centre of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Aarati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.

On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money.

Other Names of Pongal

Pongal

In the south, people have the festival of Pongal, which is celebrated over four days. The newly harvested rice is cooked and this preparation goes by the name Pongal.

Makar Sankranti

In the North Indian states of India, people celebrate this day as Makar Sankranti. The most exciting thing about this festival is the kite flying. People believe that the direction of the wind changes on that day, and so they all come out into the streets to fly colorful kites and capture as many as possible.

Lohri

In Punjab, people celebrate Lohri in January on what they believe is the coldest day of the year. With the cold winds blowing they celebrate by dancing the bhangra around a fire, which is fed with sugarcane, rice and sesame seeds. People sing folk songs that tell of a good harvest, which is a blessing from the gods.

Bihu/Bohaggiyo Bhishu

This is the greatest festival of the Assamese people, who observe three Bihus. The three Bihus, constitute a festival complex and are celebrated at various stages of the cultivation of paddy, the principal crop of Assam.

Hadaga Festival

The Hadaga festival in Maharashtra is to pray for a good monsoon and a good harvest. As Indra is the god of rain, people sing songs to Indra and pray for rain. Pictures of the elephant which is Indra’s vehicle are drawn everywhere to invite the God.

Andal is the only woman among the Azhwars. Her devotion to Lord Ranganathar gave rise to many pasurams. This bhakthi endeared her to the Lord, who accepted her as his bride.

Sri Andal sang the Thiruppavai containing 30 verses – one verse for each day of Margazhi (December – January) – in praise of Lord Narayana. On the 27th day, while singing “Koodaarai vellum seer Govinda…”, the Lord blessed her with the boon of marriage. This day every year is celebrated at Koodaravalli to commemorate this event.

In the second pasuram, “Vaiyathu vaazhvirgal”, Andal details the procedures involved in observing the fast during the month. Sri Andal exhorts us to chant the name of the Lord for the whole day, avoid ghee, milk, have a bath early in the morning (brahmamuhurtham), avoid any adornments like kohl or flowers, avoid all negative emotions and words, do acts of charity, and do one’s duties while singing praises of the Lord.

Sri Andal and her friends complete their fast on the 27th day, and prepare to enjoy themselves for the last three days of the month.

The 27th pasuram, “koodarai vellum” signifies the conclusion of the fast.

koodaarai vellum seer gOvindhaa undhannai(p)

paadi(p) paRai kondu yaam peRum sammaanam

naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanRaaga(ch)

choodagamE thOL vaLaiyE thOdE sevip poovE

paadagamE enRanaiya palagalanum yaam aNivOm

aadai uduppOm adhan pinnE paaR chORu

mooda ney peydhu muzhangai vazhi vaara(k)

koodi irundhu kuLirndhElOr embaavaay

The friends wear good clothes and ornaments and visit the temple, where they continue to sing praises of Lord Narayana. Akkaravadisal soaked in ghee and milk is offered to the Lord and shared amongst them.

Today, devotees go to the temple, offer Ghee filled Akaravadisal to Lord Govinda and end their fast on this day. Many perform Annadanam on this day.This Year Koodaravalli is celebrated on 12th January 2012

Thiruvadarai is the star Arudra. The prefix Thiru denotes its enormous size (several crore times bigger than the sun). The only other star with this prefix is Thiruvonam, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The festival Thiruvadarai is celebrated on the day that the star occurs in the month of Margazhi (December-January). It is the day on which Lord Shiva as Nataraja is believed to have performed his cosmic dance.

Arudra signifies a red flame. Lord Shiva in the form of light performs his functions of creation, protection, destruction and concealing.

The temple at Chidambaram celebrates the day with a great abhishekam. The offering of Kali (a sweet dish made of pounded rice and jiggery) is made to the Lord and then distributed amongst devotees, who accept this as a gift of bliss from the Lord himself.

There is a story about how Kali came to be the neivedyam. Sendanar, a devout follower of the Lord, would eat only what was left over from the food that was offered to the Lord. One Thiruvadarai day in Margazhi he offered a humble repast of Pittu and Kali, with the regret that he could not offer anything better. The Lord was so pleased wtih his devotion, that he showered Sendanar with Pittu and Kali. Ever since that miracle occurred, Kali is made as the main offering to Lord Nataraja on this day. It is served with a koottu which has seven varieties of vegetables.

In Sirgazhi, this day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Saint Thirugnanasambandar, commemorating the day when the saint as a baby was breastfed by Parvati.

In Thirupperundurai, the day is observed as the birth anniversary of Saint Manickavasagar.

This year, Thiruvadarai will be celebrated on 8^th January, 2012.