And now we welcome the new year.
Full of things that have never been.-Rainer Maria Rilke

New Year in March.
Iṉiya puthaandu nalvāazhthugal! – இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்

Tamil New Year, known Puthandu (புத்தாண்டு), is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar. Celebrated around the 14 th of April, on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, the date is calculated as per the solar cycle of the Hindu calendar. This coincides with the New Year’s Day in other states of India and celebrated as Vishu, Ugadi, Vaisakhi or Baisakhi.

A family event, the highlight of this festival, apart from prayer and togetherness, is the vegetarian feast the family enjoys. Traditionally served on banana leaves, the menu mimics those served at weddings, and is a burst of color and flavor.

Each family has its own specialties and variations, and I fine tune mine to what everyone at my home likes.
Something Sweet, something sour, something healthy, something warming, something cooling, something crunchy, something carb!

Forget calories – enjoy the visual treat !

P.S. If you discount the cups on my frame, and serve it as done normally, right on the banana leaf, it is the perfect example of an eco friendly bio degradable vegetarian meal. Once the meal is done, the leaves were fed to the cows. If the cows will ever eat leaves without flavors again is another quesion😆…