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The two week long Chithirai festival held in April in Madurai, Tamil Nadu also heralds the beginning of the Tamil new year Pothandu. Chithirai is the first month of the Tamil solar calendar. The festival is held in the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai and it reenacts the wedding of Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Goddess Meenakshi (Lord Vishnu's sister). The first fifteen days are celebrated for goddess Meenakshi and the next fifteen days for Alagar ( a form of Lord Vishnu).
The Chitirai festival beigns on the fifth day of the bright half of the Tamil month of Chitrai which is April in the English calendar. Held in the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, the parade takes place around the temple.
Pic Credit: Wiki Commons
The Chithirai festival begins with a flag hoisting ceremony which is followed by the coronation of the Goddess Meenakshi as the ruler of Madurai for the next four months after which Lord Shiva will become the ruler for the next eight months. This is followed by the procession of Goddess Meenakshi. A day after the procession, the celestial wedding of the god and goddess is celebrated. The deities are paraded around the temple streets before being brought into the temple.
Pic Credit: Wiki Commons
The following day sees the procession of temple chariots. A big Car Festival is also held at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam on new year day. Festivals are also held at Tiruchirapalli, Kanchipuram and many other places.
What to see and do
The Chithirai festival is a great opportunity to experience the day to day life in Madurai. The celebrations continue all across the city and the streets are flooded with devotees. Here is also a list of places near Madurai.
Shopping
Madurai is famous for its silk sarees and also Chungidi cotton sarees and tanjore paintings. Do visit the Pudumandapam, a 500 year old mall famous for tailors, handicrafts and bronze items. Handloom cotton sarees are available in co-operative stores like Co-optex.