About Malayalam New Year
Malayalam New Year is Chingam 1, the first day of the Kollam era calendar that Kerala has counted from 825 CE, and in 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 18 August 2027. It is a quiet morning of temple visits and clean houses rather than a feast, and Kerala also keeps it as Karshaka Dinam, its Farmers' Day. It opens Chingam, the month of weddings and of Onam, after the hard monsoon month of Karkidakam.
Chingam 1 is the day Kerala's almanacs say the Sun has entered Simha, the sign of Leo, and it is the first day of the Malayalam calendar year. Malayalis call that calendar Kollavarsham, the Kollam era. On the Gregorian calendar it lands in mid-August, most years on the 17th and now and then on the 18th.
Kerala has two new years. Vishu, on Medam 1 in April, is the older solar new year and the one with a ritual: the kani, the tray of gold and konna flowers seen first thing in the morning. Chingam 1 is the calendar new year. The year number changes on this day, but there is no special dish and no ceremony that belongs only to it.
Why the Malayalam year starts in Chingam
The Kollam era counts from 825 CE. Nobody can say for certain why. The oldest record that uses it is a royal order of Sri Vallavan Goda, king of Venad, from around 973 CE, which counts the years from when Kollam "appeared", Kollam Thontri Aandu. That points to the port of Kollam, but historians read it differently.
- The founding of Kollam. Recent scholarship ties the era to the setting up of Kollam as a trading town by Maruwan Sapir Iso, leader of the Persian Christian settlers and merchant guilds, after Venad broke free of Chola rule.
- A temple. The 19th-century German scholar Hermann Gundert thought it began with a new Shiva temple at Kollam and spread as the port grew.
- A council of astronomers. P. Shungoonny Menon's history of Travancore says King Udaya Marthanda Varma called learned men together and they fixed the new era from 1 Chingam. The historian V. Sankaran Nair points out that no king of that name is known from the period.
- Older stories. One tradition links 825 CE to news of Adi Shankaracharya's death reaching Kerala. Another counts thousand-year cycles from Parashurama.
Not all of Kerala began the year on the same day. Palakkad and North Kerala long counted the new year from Kanni 1, a month later, while Travancore and Kochi used Chingam 1. The Kerala government's adoption of Chingam 1 is what made it the Malayalam New Year for the whole state.
How to work out the Kollam year
The rule is simple. From Chingam 1 to 31 December, take the Gregorian year and subtract 824. From 1 January until the last day of Karkidakam, subtract 825. So the Malayalam year that begins on Wednesday, 18 August 2027 is 2027 minus 824. In 2026 that was 1202, which ran from 17 August 2026. Malayalam calendars print it as ME, for Malayalam Era, or as Kollavarsham.
Chingam 1 moves by a day because of a cut-off. The month begins on the day the Sun crosses into Simha only if the crossing happens early enough in the daylight, the same afternoon rule that sometimes puts Vishu on 15 April. If it crosses later, Chingam starts the next morning. For an exact date, go by a Kerala panchangam, not a north Indian one.
From Karkidakam to the golden month
Karkidakam, mid-July to mid-August, is the peak of the monsoon. In farming Kerala the fields were flooded, work dried up and families lived off stored grain, so it was called panja masam, the month of want. Many Hindu homes still read the Adhyatma Ramayanam of Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan every evening of Karkidakam in front of the lit nilavilakku, finishing on the last day, which is why it is also called Ramayana masam. In North Kerala, Karkidaka theyyam performers go from house to house to drive away the season's troubles.
Weddings, housewarmings and new ventures are usually put off during Karkidakam. They all come back in Chingam, which Malayalis call Ponnin Chingam, golden Chingam. At Guruvayur, where many Malayali Hindu couples hope to marry, the Devaswom held 437 weddings across six mandapams on Sunday 23 August 2026, the most it had ever handled in one day.
Chingam is also Onam's month. Onam is fixed by the Thiruvonam star falling in Chingam, so the run-up starts close to the new year. Atham, the first of the ten days and the day of the first pookalam, can land after Chingam 1 or even just before it. In 2026 Atham fell on 16 August and Chingam 1 on the 17th, so the flower carpets were already out when the year turned.
| Day | When | What it is | Usual wish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vishu | Medam 1, mid-April | The older solar new year, with the kani at dawn | Vishu ashamsakal |
| Malayalam New Year | Chingam 1, mid-August | The calendar new year and Karshaka Dinam | Puthuvalsara ashamsakal |
| Onam | Thiruvonam in Chingam, August–September | The harvest festival and Mahabali's visit | Onashamsakal |
| Kerala Piravi | 1 November | The formation of the state in 1956 | Kerala Piravi ashamsakal |
How Chingam 1 is spent
People bathe early, wear traditional clothes and visit a temple before work. Sabarimala opens for its monthly Chingam puja, and Guruvayur, Sree Padmanabhaswamy and the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram draw crowds from dawn. At home, the house is cleaned and the lamp is lit.
Chingam 1 is also Karshaka Dinam, Kerala's Farmers' Day. Panchayat Krishi Bhavans honour local farmers, and the Agriculture Department holds a state-level function. In 2026 it was at Kalamassery near Kochi, with awards in 38 categories. This is Kerala's own farmers' day and is separate from the national Kisan Diwas on 23 December.
It is a working day. Chingam 1 was not on the Kerala government's holiday list for 2026, and schools and offices stay open. For many Malayalis, 1 January is the new year they celebrate and Chingam 1 is a date they notice when the WhatsApp messages start. Christian and Muslim Malayalis share the calendar and Karshaka Dinam, but the temple visits are a Hindu practice.
What to write
Puthuvalsara ashamsakal, Amme, Achcha. Karkidakam is over, the Ramayanam can go back on the shelf, and I am counting the days to Onam at home.
Happy Malayalam New Year. Wishing you a good Chingam, and an Onam break you don't have to answer emails in.
Karshaka Dinam today, Appooppa, and I thought of you first. Every grain we eat this Onam started in your hands.
Ponnin Chingam has arrived at home. Wherever you are this morning, I hope the year starts with a call to Amma and a ticket home by Thiruvonam.
Of all the months to begin a married life, you picked the golden one. Puthuvalsara ashamsakal and congratulations to you both.
Happy Chingam 1. I found out today that your calendar has been counting since 825, so happy new year, with respect.
Thinking of you as the new year begins. No need to reply. We are here whenever the house feels too quiet.
Do
- Send it in the morning. Chingam 1 starts with a temple visit and ends at the office, and a wish at night arrives late.
- Say Puthuvalsara ashamsakal if you can, or simply Happy Malayalam New Year. Both are normal.
- If you are writing to farmers or to an older relative in a village, mention Karshaka Dinam. It is the part of the day they are most likely to mark.
Avoid
- Don't call Chingam 1 Vishu. Vishu is the April new year with the kani, and mixing them up is the most common mistake on cards.
- Don't assume your reader celebrates it. For many Malayalis the date is noted, not kept, so a light wish works better than an elaborate one.
- Puthuvalsara ashamsakal
- New year wishes (പുതുവത്സരാശംസകൾ), also spelt puthuvatsara ashamsakal
- Ponnin Chingam
- Golden Chingam, the usual name for the first month
- Chingappiravi
- The birth of Chingam, another name for Chingam 1
- Kollavarsham
- The Kollam era, the Malayalam calendar counted from 825 CE
- Karkidakam
- The last month of the year, the monsoon month, also called panja masam
- Ramayana masam
- Karkidakam, when many homes read the Adhyatma Ramayanam each evening
- Karshaka Dinam
- Kerala's Farmers' Day, held on Chingam 1
How to wish someone on Malayalam New Year
A Chingam 1 wish is about relief and a fresh start. The rains of Karkidakam are behind, the golden month has arrived and Onam is close. Malayalis write Puthuvalsara ashamsakal or Ponnin Chingam to each other, mostly on WhatsApp in the morning. Mention a wedding in the family, the Onam trip home or a farmer you know, since the day is also Karshaka Dinam. Keep it short, and don't mix it up with Vishu in April, which is a separate new year.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Malayalam.
When is Malayalam New Year in 2026 and 2027?
Malayalam New Year is set by the Malayalam solar (Kollam era) calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 1 day later than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is Malayalam New Year in 2027?
Malayalam New Year 2027 falls on Wednesday, 18 August 2027.
What is the difference between Vishu and the Malayalam New Year?
Vishu falls on Medam 1 in mid-April and is the older solar new year, kept with the Vishukkani seen at dawn. The Malayalam New Year is Chingam 1 in mid-August, the first day of the Kollam era calendar, when the year number changes. Both are Malayali new years, but only Vishu has a ritual of its own.
Which Malayalam year starts in 2027?
The Malayalam year that begins on Chingam 1, Wednesday, 18 August 2027, is 2027 minus 824. As a rule, subtract 824 from the Gregorian year between Chingam 1 and 31 December, and 825 between 1 January and the end of Karkidakam.
How do you wish someone a happy Malayalam New Year in Malayalam?
Say "Puthuvalsara ashamsakal", which means new year wishes. People also write "Ponnin Chingam" for the golden month of Chingam, and "Happy Malayalam New Year" or "Happy Chingam 1" are perfectly normal in English.
Why is Chingam 1 celebrated as Farmers' Day in Kerala?
Chingam follows Karkidakam, the monsoon month of scarcity, and opens the harvest season that leads to Onam. Kerala marks Chingam 1 as Karshaka Dinam, when Krishi Bhavans and the state Agriculture Department give awards to farmers. It is separate from India's National Farmers' Day on 23 December.
Why is Chingam a popular month for weddings in Kerala?
Many Malayali Hindu families avoid weddings and housewarmings in Karkidakam, the monsoon month, and treat Chingam as the most auspicious month to start them again. Temples fill up quickly: Guruvayur held a record 437 weddings on a single Sunday in Chingam in August 2026.
Is Chingam 1 a holiday in Kerala?
No. Chingam 1 is not on the Kerala government's list of public holidays, so schools and offices stay open. People usually visit a temple early in the morning and go to work as normal.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .