On Thursday, April 14, 2022, Tamils celebrate the New Year 5124. This 1st day of the Tamil month of Chithirai, also the Vedic New Year and the alignment of the Sun with the Earth, symbolises renewal, the beginning of the season of rejuvenation, fertility and growth. At this time of the year, the Sun, as the supreme source of light, energy, and power, gain power and vitality.
“Puthāaṇdu vāazhthugal!” or “Iṉiya puthaandu nalvāazhthugal!” is what we hear/read most every April 14, a day that coincides with the transit of the Sun into Mesha Rashi (Aries). This transit of the Sun in Aries is very powerful because, on its journey north (Uttarayana), the Sun reaches the peak of its strength in this sign of the zodiac.
As this pompous festival marks new and nothing but new, Tamils in Mauritius as in the rest of the world celebrate this festival especially with family and closest friends, in joy and purity. Moreover, this new day starts with the cleaning and decoration of the house with a traditional colourful ‘Rangoli’. This is followed by a bath or rather a purification of the body. Some people add plants to the water element. Then they dress in new clothes and start with a prayer in the house, then to the Kovil for the big prayers and to follow the reading of the Pandjangam. This year although there is no confinement, health restrictions require 50 devotees at a time in the Kovils. The tradition part ends with the Arusuvey meal, which is composed of a meal with 6 or 7 items depending on the family.
Then it’s time for the party that everyone tries to celebrate by keeping this traditional universe awake as long as possible with music, dances, songs, storytelling shows…
The Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth gave a speech at the Amma Tookay Temple in Camp Diable. In this context, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, under the initiative of the Mauritius Tamil Cultural Centre Trust, launched on 12 April a video highlighting cultural values and ancestral traditions. This video was produced locally and with Mauritian artists, as a tribute to the ancestors from India.
Le Matinal wishes a happy 5124 Varusha Pirrapu to all our fellow Tamil citizens and hopes that this new year will be filled with prosperity for them as well as for the country.
