Tamil Calendar 2020: Tamil Festivals & Holidays

Calendars play an essential role in day to day life, which includes business to household work. Apart from the Gregorian Calendar, various other calendars are referred worldwide by people of different cultures to remember the important dates and follow traditional practices. Tamil Calendar 2020 is one of the dominant cultures in India, hence making it evident that people of Tamil Nadu widely follow the Tamil calendar. The Tamil calendar is named Tamil Panchangam and has the details of all the important dates, festivals, and cultural practices followed.

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The Tamil calendar is a solar calendar which follows the movement of the sun from one zodiac sign to another. In the year 2020, the first month of Panchangam will start from April 14, which is also celebrated as Puthandu or Tamil New Year.

Tamil Calendar 2020: Important Dates and Holidays

Date and Day Festival
1 January 2020, Wednesday New Year
6 January 2020, Monday Vaikuntha Ekadashi
10 January 2020, Friday Arudra Darshan
15 January 2020, Wednesday Pongal
24 January 2020, Friday Thai Amavasai
26 January 2020, Sunday Republic Day
1 February 2020, Saturday Rath Saptami
8 February 2020, Saturday Thai Poosam
21 February 2020, Friday Maha Shivratri
8 March 2020, Sunday Masi Magam
14 March 2020, Saturday Karadaiyan Nombu
25 March 2020, Wednesday Ugadi - Telugu New Year
2 April 2020, Thursday Ram Navami
7 April 2020, Tuesday Panguni Uthiram
14 April 2020, Tuesday Puthandu/ Vishu
26 April 2020, Sunday Akshay Tritiya
28 April 2020, Tuesday Sankara Jayanthi/ Ramanuja Jayanthi
4 May - 28 May 2020, Monday -Thursday Agni Nakshatram
6 May 2020, Wednesday Mahavir Jayanti
7 May 2020, Thursday Chitra Pournami
14 May 2020, Thursday Tamil New Year/Puthandu/Ambedkar Jayanti
4 June 2020, Thursday Vikasa Vikasam
20 July 2020, Monday Aadi Amavasai
24 July 2020, Friday Andal Jayanthi
25 July 2020, Saturday Garuda Panjami
26 July 2020, Sunday Avani Avittam Rigveda
31 July 2020, Friday Varalakshmi Vrat
2 August 2020, Sunday Aadi Perukku
3 August 2020, Monday Avani Avittam Yajurveda
4 August 2020, Tuesday Gayathri Japam
7 August 2020, Friday Maha Sangada Hara Chaturthi
11 - 12 August 2020, Tuesday - Wednesday Gokulashtami/Ashtami Rohini
15 August 2020, Saturday Independence Day
22 August 2020, Saturday Avani Attivam Samveda/ Vinayagar Chathurthi
31 August - 2 September 2020, Monday - Wednesday Onam
7 September 2020, Monday Maha Bharani
10 September 2020, Thursday Ashtami Rohini
15 September 2020, Tuesday Magha Shraddha
17 September 2020, Thursday Mahalaya Amavasai
2 October 2020, Friday Gandhi Jayanti
17 October 2020, Saturday Navarathri
25 October 2020, Sunday Ayutha Poojai/ Vijayadashami/ Saraswati Pooja
26 October 2020, Monday Vidyarambham
14 November 2020, Saturday Deepavali/Lakshmi Poojai/Kedara Gowri Vratham
20 November 2020, Friday Soora Samharam
29 November 2020, Sunday Karthigai Deepam
19 December 2020, Saturday Subrahmanya Sashti
25 December 2020, Friday Vaikuntha Ekadashi
30 December 2020, Wednesday Arudra Darshan


There are 12 months in the Tamil Calendar 2020, namely:

  1. Chithirai, Vaigāsi (Spring)
  2. Āni, Ādi (Summer)
  3. Āvani, Puratāci (Monsoon)
  4. Aippasi, Kārthigai (Autumn)
  5. Mārkazhi, Tai (Winter)
  6. Māsi, Panguni (Prevernal)

These months starting from the month of April, where the first month is Chithirai and all the other eleven months follow as given in the above order. The Tamil calendar 2020 has all the details of the festivals that are celebrated in Tamil Nadu with great pomp. Major festivals celebrated are:

  • Puthandu, also known as the Tamil New Year, will be observed on 14th April in 2020. This day is marked as a public holiday in the local region and is celebrated in the Tamil month of Chithirai.
  • Pongal is a popular festival celebrated in the region and is observed on the same day when Makar Sankranti is celebrated in Northern India. This is a four-day long festival which is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the people. The first day of Pongal is known as Bhogi Pandigai. This festival will be observed from 15th to 18th January 2020.
  • On the day after Pongal, Mattu Pongal is celebrated. In this, the people traditionally worship livestock. This is the day when the popular game named Jallikattu is played and enjoyed by the people as a cultural practice.
  • Hanumath Jayanti is the festival which is celebrated on Margashirsha Amavasya by Tamilians as the birthday of Lord Hanuman. This festival will be celebrated on 8th April in the year 2020 by the people of Tamil Nadu.
  • Shivaratri is the festival when the birth of Lord Shiva is commemorated and is common in both North India and South India. This festival will be celebrated on 21st February all over India.
  • Thaipusam, which is also known as Thaipooyam, is celebrated in the month of Tai and in 2020, it will be celebrated on 8th February. The story behind the festival says that this was the day when goddess Parvati gave a weapon to Murugan to demolish the demon Soorapadman.
  • Onam is a festival which is celebrated by the people of Kerala with great zeal. This is a 10-day long festival which will stretch from 31st August till 2nd September. The festival signifies the annual visit of Emperor Mahabali.
  • Avani Avittam Rigveda is a festival which is celebrated by the Brahmins as they practice the ritual of changing the Upanayana thread they wear as a symbol of purity. Gayatri Japam is done on the following day. This festival will be celebrated on 26th July in the year 2020.
  • Karadaiyan Nombu is the festival which is celebrated during the time of Meena Sankranti or Sankramana. On this day, women fast for the long lives of their husbands in this festival.
  • Panguni Uthiram is celebrated during Phalguni Nakshatra. On this day, Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati, Lord Rama married Goddess Sita, and Lord Murugan married Goddess Deivayanai. This festival will be celebrated on 7th April 2020 as mentioned in the Panchangam.
  • Deepavali is the festival which is celebrated with great pomp in Northern India, but in Tamil Nadu, this festival is observed when Chaturdashi Tithi prevails during Brahma Muhurat. This festival will be celebrated on 14th November according to the Panchangam in the year 2020.

There are many other festivals in Tamil Nadu which are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Tamil Panchangam is very important for people to refer and perform the rituals in the right muhurat. The Tamil months have all the important dates marked for the people who like to fast and perform all the religious practices.

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Benefits Of Tamil Calendar 2020

  • You can always plan the year with the help of a calendar, and the most important festivals which are to be celebrated with the family will not be missed, if pre-planned.
  • The festivals will offer fruitful results when the rituals are performed at the right time.
  • Calendars, which are culture-specific, always help in preserving the cultural values.

The Tamil calendar opens up more space for a better year 2020 and helps to plan all the days in the year accordingly. Even for people who do not belong to the Tamilian culture, one can plan to visit the region during the major festivals to see how they are celebrated and understand the cultural values.

You can refer to Tamil calendar 2020 for all the details of the year and celebrate according to the date mentioned in the calendar. Have a great year!