Puthandu vazhthukkal! Or Happy Tamil New Year. Celebrated annually on 14 April, the Tamil new year celebrates the start of spring, harvest, and the first day of the Tamil solar calendar.
The holiday is celebrated with new clothes, music, sweets, and rice flour kolams (street art) at the front of homes.
Originating in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Puthandu (also known as Varsha Pirrapu) is also welcomed with festivals in other places with a large Tamil diaspora, such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore.
Unfortunately, Australia is not one of those places, so celebrating is a little trickier. Here are the 21 stages of getting your New year on, Tamil-style, here in Australia.
1. Waking up early to get cracking on the celebrations at hand.
This seemed like a good idea last night.
2. Drawing pretty kolams out the front of the house.
Here's an amazing kolam (a South Indian hand made design using sprinkled rice flour and vermillion) that my mum made this morning.
3. And then posting it on Instagram. Obviously.
4. Setting out the new panchangam calendar.
5. Gorging on a big hearty breakfast.
Dosas, idlies, sambar, and all of the chutneys!
6. Then rushing off to work, because today's not a public holiday in Australia.
*Creates change.org petition*
7. Getting compliments on your brand new clothes.
New year, new clothes!
8. Sharing sweets you brought from home with all your colleagues.
9. Eating at least half those sweets yourself.
Regret nothing.
10. Being bombarded by Facebook and Twitter greetings all day.
11. And struggling to get any work done in between.
12. Dancing sneakily at your desk to Tamil film songs blaring through your headphones.
This one is a banger!
13. Changing all your after work coffees to filter kaapi catch ups.
14, Or better yet, vadai payasam.
15. Then rushing home to prepare for visits from family and friends.
So much to party. So little time.
16. Changing into your fancy Tamilian get up.
17. EATING. EVEN. MORE.
18. Worrying if you’ll ever reemerge from this food coma.
Ooh I'mma feel it tomorrow.
19. Getting hit by the wave of lethargy, but wanting to keep going.
20. Realising you have work the next morning and you have to cut the party short.
21. Collapsing into your bed, stoked the day was everything you wanted it to be and that the indigestion was totally worth it.
Puthangu nal vazhthukkal!
All GIFs have been sourced via Giphy.
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