Hindu Feasts, Fasts and Ceremonies/Chapter 19
19. The Hindu New Year’s Day
EVERY nation in the world has its New Year’s Day. A year is the time of the apparent revolution of the sun through the ecliptic; and a sidereal year is the time in which the sun departing from any fixed star returns to the same. The Hindu’s astronomical year is sidereal. He calls it Samvatsaradi, the first day of the year or the Vishu-chaitravishu, the equinoctical point of Aries, into which the sun enters at the vernal equinox. This event generally falls on the 12th April and is considered by the Hindu a punaykala—a holy occasion. So on the New Year’s Day the Manes and Gods are propitiated by offerings of tarpana—oblations of water—and other allied ceremonies. In other respects, the New Year’s Day is a day of feasting.
Though thus the astronomical Hindu year falls on the 12th April, the New Year’s Day is observed on different days by different sects of the Hindus, according as they happen to follow the lunar, the luni-solar or the solar calendar. The Tamils follow the solar, and their year is thus the sidereal year. The Telugus and the Canarese follow the Chandramana reckoning, and their year is the lunisolar, which begins earlier than the 12th April. The Malayalis follow the Tamils, though their Kollamandu—which is more an agricultural year—begins about the middle of September, when the sun enters the autumnal equinox.
On the New Year Day the elderly people—males and females—take a sacred bath in the holy rivers or the sea, whichever happens to be nearest. The males propitiate the Manes and the deities; children appear in their holiday dress and jewels. The nearest temple is attended and the god in it is worshipped. In some families children and other members receive new cloths. A sumptuous meal is cooked in every house and poor relations are always cordially invited to the feast. At evening time the Panchanga or the Calendar of the New Year is read out and expounded by a holy Brahman. Several people assemble to listen to this exposition. At the end of this ceremony, attar, pan supari, and dessert are distributed. Sometimes a short entertainment of music is also added to this ceremony. The whole day is spent more or less in mirth and festivity and a light supper closes the day’s proceedings.
In Malabar, the New Year’s Day festivities are observed on a very grand scale. On New Year’s eve all the gold coins available in the house, all gold jewels, all kinds of auspicious fruits and flowers and everything considered to be good to look at are placed in the room set apart for the worship of the family god. The Karnavan who is the head of the family first opens this room between 4 and 5 on New Year’s morn and worships with a lighted lamp in his hand all these articles. Then every member of the house one after the other goes to the front of the room with his or her eyes shut and opens them when arrived at the proper spot to take a sight of the auspicious articles collected. The Karnavan—head of the family—presents each with something or other,—coins, jewels, flowers, fruits, etc. This is the chief difference between the Malayalis and other Hindus as regards the observance of the New Year’s festivities. And every Hindu takes care to see an auspicious sight on the New Year’s morn whether he is a Malayali or other Hindu.