The Tamil New Year that began on April 14, 2026 carries the name Parabhava, the 40th year in the traditional 60-year Tamil calendar cycle. If you grew up checking the wall calendar in your grandmother’s kitchen for the next Pongal date or the right day to start a new venture, this guide is built to do the same job online — festival dates, public holidays, Ekadashi and Pradosham fasting days, and wedding Muhurtam windows for the full year, all in one place.
Every date on this page is worked out from the traditional Tamil Panchangam, using the Amanta lunisolar method that Tamil astrologers have relied on for generations. We keep this article updated through the year, so bookmark it if you want a quick reference every month.
What Exactly Is the Tamil Calendar?
Most calendars followed in North India track the moon. The Tamil Calendar does something different — it follows the sun. This is called the Sauramana, or solar, system, and it explains two things people often wonder about: why Tamil New Year almost always lands around April 14, and why festivals like Diwali move around the calendar from year to year while Pongal doesn’t.
Here’s the underlying logic. A new Tamil month begins the instant the sun enters a new zodiac sign (rashi). Astrologers call that precise moment a Sankranti. Since there are twelve rashis, there are twelve Tamil months, and each one lasts somewhere between 29 and 32 days, depending on how long the sun takes to pass through that particular sign.
The Panchangam itself means “five limbs,” and it’s the daily almanac priests and astrologers use to track five elements: Tithi (lunar day), Vara (weekday), Nakshatra (star position), Yoga, and Karana. These five combine to determine Muhurtam — the auspicious window for weddings, housewarmings, and other important events.
Tamil Calendar vs. Malayalam Calendar (Mathrubhumi & Manorama)
A question we get often: is the Tamil Calendar the same as the Kerala Calendar published by Mathrubhumi (sometimes searched as “Matrubhumi”) or Malayala Manorama? Not quite, though the two are close cousins.
The Kerala Calendar — the one most households recognise from the Mathrubhumi and Manorama publications — is also lunisolar in structure and shares many of the same Hindu festivals, since Kerala and Tamil Nadu sit next to each other and share deep cultural overlap. But the Malayalam calendar (Kollam Era) uses a different year count and slightly different month-start conventions than the Tamil calendar, which is why a date that looks auspicious on a Manorama calendar can fall a day or two apart from the same event on a Tamil Panchangam. If your family follows a Kerala Calendar for one set of observances and a Tamil Calendar for another — common in many Tamil-Malayali households — treat the two as separate references rather than interchangeable ones.
Tamil Months 2026
| Tamil Month | Tamil Script | Approximate 2026 Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Chithirai | சித்திரை | April 14 – May 14 |
| Vaikasi | வைகாசி | May 15 – June 15 |
| Aani | ஆனி | June 16 – July 16 |
| Aadi | ஆடி | July 17 – August 16 |
| Aavani | ஆவணி | August 17 – September 16 |
| Purattasi | புரட்டாசி | September 17 – October 17 |
| Aippasi | ஐப்பசி | October 18 – November 16 |
| Karthigai | கார்த்திகை | November 17 – December 15 |
| Margazhi | மார்கழி | December 16 – January 13 |
| Thai | தை | January 14 – February 12 |
| Maasi | மாசி | February 13 – March 13 |
| Panguni | பங்குனி | March 14 – April 13 |
Because Sankranti timing shifts slightly each year, treat these transition dates as close approximations rather than fixed points — a difference of a day is normal and doesn’t affect the festival dates themselves.
Download the Tamil Calendar 2026 PDF
If you’d rather keep a printable copy handy — on your phone, taped inside a cupboard, or shared in a family WhatsApp group — a month-by-month PDF version of this calendar is available below. Each PDF carries the full Panchangam details for that month: Tithi, Nakshatra, Rahu Kalam, and the festival and Muhurtam dates covered in this article. Tap on any month to open or save it.
| Month | Tamil Name | Download |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | ஜனவரி | Download PDF |
| February 2026 | பிப்ரவரி | Download PDF |
| March 2026 | மார்ச் | Download PDF |
| April 2026 | ஏப்ரல் | Download PDF |
| May 2026 | மே | Download PDF |
| June 2026 | ஜூன் | Download PDF |
| July 2026 | ஜூலை | Download PDF |
| August 2026 | ஆகஸ்ட் | Download PDF |
| September 2026 | செப்டம்பர் | Download PDF |
| October 2026 | அக்டோபர் | Download PDF |
| November 2026 | நவம்பர் | Download PDF |
| December 2026 | டிசம்பர் | Download PDF |
(Replace the “#” links above with your actual PDF file URLs before publishing.)
Major Tamil Festivals & National Holidays 2026
January – March
| Date | Festival / Holiday |
|---|---|
| January 1 | English New Year |
| January 13 | Lohri |
| January 14 | Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal |
| January 15 | Mattu Pongal / Thiruvalluvar Day |
| January 16 | Kaanum Pongal (Uzhavar Thirunal) |
| January 18 | Thai Amavasya |
| January 23 | Vasant Panchami |
| January 26 | Republic Day |
| February 1 | Thaipusam |
| February 15 | Maha Shivaratri |
| February 19 | Shivaji Jayanti |
| March 3 | Masi Magam / Holika Dahan |
| March 4 | Holi |
| March 14 | Karadaiyan Nombu |
| March 19 | Ugadi / Gudi Padwa |
| March 27 | Ram Navami |
April – June
| Date | Festival / Holiday |
|---|---|
| April 1 | Panguni Uthiram; Banks’ Annual Closing |
| April 2 | Hanuman Jayanti |
| April 14 | Tamil New Year (Puthandu) / Vishu / Baisakhi |
| April 15 | Bengali New Year / Bihu |
| April 19 | Akshaya Tritiya |
| May 1 | Buddha Purnima / Labour Day |
| May 16 | Vat Savitri Vrat |
| May 25 | Ganga Dussehra |
| May 28 | Bakrid (Eid-ul-Adha) |
| May 30 | Vaikasi Visakam |
| June 21 | International Yoga Day |
July – September
| Date | Festival / Holiday |
|---|---|
| July 14 | Aadi Amavasya |
| July 16 | Jagannath Rath Yatra |
| July 29 | Guru Purnima |
| August 3 | Aadi Perukku |
| August 15 | Independence Day |
| August 26 | Onam |
| August 28 | Raksha Bandhan / Varalakshmi Vrat |
| September 4 | Krishna Janmashtami |
| September 14 | Ganesh Chaturthi |
| September 17 | Vishwakarma Puja |
October – December
| Date | Festival / Holiday |
|---|---|
| October 2 | Gandhi Jayanti |
| October 11 | Navratri begins |
| October 22 | Dussehra / Vijayadashami |
| November 6 | Dhanteras |
| November 8 | Diwali / Deepavali |
| November 10 | Skanda Sashti (Soorasamharam) |
| November 15 | Chhath Puja |
| November 25 | Karthigai Deepam |
| December 20 | Gita Jayanti / Mokshada Ekadashi |
| December 25 | Christmas |
| December 30 | Vaikunta Ekadashi |
A Closer Look at the Big Festivals
Thai Pongal (January 14–17) is Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival, celebrated over four days: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal. Rice is boiled outdoors in a fresh clay pot until it spills over, a moment families treat as a sign of abundance for the year ahead.
Puthandu, or Tamil New Year (April 14), ushers in the month of Chithirai. The night before, households set up a “Kani” tray — fruits, flowers, a few coins, and a small mirror — arranged so it’s the first thing anyone sees on waking up the next morning.
Aadi Perukku (August 3) falls on the eighteenth day of the Aadi month and is a thanksgiving for the monsoon. Families gather along riverbanks, particularly the Kaveri, with offerings and a shared meal.
Skanda Sashti (November 5–10) is a six-day fast that ends with Soorasamharam on November 10, when temples re-enact Lord Murugan’s victory over the demon Soorapadman.
Karthigai Deepam (November 25), often called the Tamil festival of lights, lights a massive flame atop Thiruvannamalai hill, while homes across the state line their entrances with rows of oil lamps.
Ekadashi & Pradosham Vrat Dates 2026
Two fasting days repeat on the Tamil calendar every month:
- Ekadashi falls on the 11th day after both the new moon and the full moon — twice a month — and is observed in devotion to Lord Vishnu.
- Pradosham falls two days before every Amavasya and Purnima, on the Trayodashi tithi, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The most auspicious window is the roughly 90 minutes around sunset.
2026 also includes an Adhik Maas — an extra lunar month the Hindu calendar periodically inserts to stay aligned with the solar year. That’s why May and June carry two additional Ekadashis, bringing the year’s total to 24 instead of the usual 23.
| Date | Vrat / Observance |
|---|---|
| January 14 | Putrada Ekadashi |
| January 29 | Shatila Ekadashi |
| February 13 | Jaya Ekadashi |
| February 27 | Vijaya Ekadashi |
| March 15 | Amalaki Ekadashi |
| March 29 | Papmochani Ekadashi |
| April 13 | Varuthini Ekadashi |
| April 27 | Mohini Ekadashi |
| May 13 | Apara Ekadashi |
| May 27 | Padmini Ekadashi (Adhik Maas) |
| June 11 | Parama Ekadashi (Adhik Maas) |
| June 25 | Nirjala Ekadashi |
| July 10 | Yogini Ekadashi |
| July 25 | Devshayani Ekadashi |
| August 9 | Kamika Ekadashi |
| August 23 | Putrada Ekadashi |
| September 7 | Aja Ekadashi |
| September 22 | Parivartini Ekadashi |
| October 6 | Indira Ekadashi |
| October 22 | Papankusha Ekadashi |
| November 5 | Rama Ekadashi |
| November 20 | Devutthana Ekadashi |
| December 4 | Utpanna Ekadashi |
| December 20 | Mokshada Ekadashi |
| December 30 | Vaikunta Ekadashi |
A quick practical note: Ekadashi fasts are usually broken the following morning in a window called Parana, and the exact timing depends on sunrise in your city. It’s worth checking a Panchang calculated for your own location before you start or end a fast, rather than relying on a single all-India time.
Marriage Muhurtam Dates 2026
Not every day on the calendar is treated as fit for a wedding. Two full months are traditionally avoided altogether — Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) and Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January) — regardless of how a specific date might otherwise look. On the other hand, Chithirai and Vaikasi, roughly April through June, are usually the busiest wedding months of the year.
| Tamil Month (2026) | Auspicious Wedding Dates |
|---|---|
| Thai (Jan–Feb) | From January 14 onward |
| Thai / Maasi (Feb) | 6, 8, 13, 15, 16, 20 |
| Maasi / Panguni (Mar) | Most of the month is favourable |
| Panguni / Chithirai (Apr) | 6, 12, 13, 16, 20, 23, 30 |
| Chithirai / Vaikasi (May) | 18, 28, 29 — peak wedding season |
| Vaikasi / Aani (Jun) | 4, 7, 17, 18, 24, 25 |
| Avani (Aug) | 23, 30, 31 |
| Aippasi / Karthigai (Nov) | 11, 13, 15, 16, 20 |
A date on this table is only one half of the picture — the other half is the couple’s own horoscope, or Jathakam. Before finalising a wedding date, it’s worth sitting with a family priest or a professional astrologer who can match the timing against both horoscopes individually.
Tamil New Year 2026: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, April 14, 2026 |
| Tamil month begins | Chithirai 1 |
| Tamil year name | Parabhava (40th year of the 60-year cycle) |
| Also celebrated as | Vishu (Kerala), Baisakhi (Punjab), Bihu (Assam) |
| Traditional dish | Mangai Pachadi — raw mango, jaggery, neem, and chilli |
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Tamil New Year 2026? Tamil New Year falls on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, marking the first day of Chithirai month and the beginning of the Parabhava year.
How is the Tamil Calendar different from the Kerala Calendar (Mathrubhumi / Manorama)? Both are lunisolar and share several festivals, but the Kerala Calendar follows the Kollam Era with its own year count, while the Tamil Calendar follows a solar month system tied to Sankranti. The two can differ by a day or two on shared observances.
Which months are best for weddings in 2026? Chithirai and Vaikasi — roughly mid-April through mid-June — are traditionally considered the strongest wedding months. Aadi and Margazhi are generally avoided.
When is Deepavali in 2026? Sunday, November 8, 2026.
What is Pradosham, and how often does it occur? It falls on the Trayodashi tithi, twice a month, two days before every Amavasya and Purnima. The preferred time to observe it is the twilight window around sunset.
Does the Tamil Calendar look the same in every city? Broadly yes, but Sankranti and tithi timings are based on local sunrise, so a Panchang calculated for Chennai can differ by a few minutes — occasionally a full day — from one calculated for Coimbatore or Madurai. For precise timing, use a Panchang built for your specific city.
How many months make up the Tamil calendar? Twelve, starting with Chithirai in mid-April and closing with Panguni in mid-April the following year.