Tamil Calendar 1997
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
March 1997
Shaka Samvat 1918 (Dhata) · Shaka Samvat 1919 (Ishwara)
Maasi – Panguni
Timings shown for New Delhi (IST) at sunrise - use the city box at the top to change it. Solar months begin by each tradition's own Sankranti rule (same-day, next-day, sunset or aparahna). Era years and lunar month names follow standard Vedic calculations and may differ slightly from regional almanacs around an Adhik Maas.
Tamil Calendar 1997 - festivals and vrats through the year
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1997, opening with Skanda Shashthi on 13 January and closing with Dhanurmasam Begins on 16 December. Of these, 12 are vrats (fasting observances). August is the fullest month with 7 dates. The year runs through Shaka Samvat 1918 – 1919.
January 1997 Margazhi – Thai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jan | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 14 Jan | Tue |
Thai Pongal The Tamil harvest thanksgiving on the Sun's entry into Makara. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 15 Jan | Wed |
Mattu Pongal The third day of Pongal, when cattle are bathed, decorated and honoured for their role in farming. |
Shukla Saptami |
| 24 Jan | Fri |
Thaipusam Devotees of Lord Murugan carry kavadi in penance and thanksgiving on the Pusam star of Thai. |
Krishna Pratipada |
February 1997 Thai – Maasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 13 Feb | Thu |
Ratha Saptami Surya's chariot turns north — devotees bathe at dawn and worship the Sun god on Magha Shukla Saptami. |
Shukla Saptami |
| 22 Feb | Sat |
Masi Magam On the Magham star of the Tamil month Maasi, temple deities are taken in procession to the sea and rivers for a holy bath. |
Shukla Purnima |
March 1997 Maasi – Panguni
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Mar | Fri |
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Lord Shiva. |
Krishna Trayodashi |
| 13 Mar | Thu | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 24 Mar | Mon |
Panguni Uthiram The Uthiram star of Panguni, celebrating the celestial weddings of Murugan-Deivanai and Shiva-Parvati. |
Shukla Purnima |
April 1997 Panguni – Chithirai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Apr | Sat | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 14 Apr | Mon |
Puthandu (Tamil New Year) The Tamil solar new year begins as the Sun enters Mesha; homes are decorated with kolam and the Maruvilakku. |
Shukla Saptami |
| 22 Apr | Tue |
Chithirai Thiruvizha Madurai's Chithirai festival peaks on the Chitra full moon of the Tamil month Chithirai with the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. |
Shukla Purnima |
May 1997 Chithirai – Vaikasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 22 May | Thu |
Vaikasi Visakam The Visakam star of Vaikasi, celebrated as the birth star of Lord Murugan with special temple worship. |
Shukla Purnima |
June 1997 Vaikasi – Aani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun | Tue | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
July 1997 Aani – Aadi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul | Thu | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 11 Jul | Fri |
Ani Thirumanjanam The grand sacred anointing of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram on the Uttiram (Uttara Phalguni) star of the Tamil month Aani. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 28 Jul | Mon |
Aadi Krithigai Lord Murugan is worshipped with lamps and abhishekam on the Krittika star of the Tamil month Aadi. |
Krishna Navami |
August 1997 Aadi – Aavani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug | Sat |
Aadi Perukku On the 18th of Aadi, the swelling of the Cauvery and other rivers is celebrated with prayers to the waters. |
Krishna Chaturdashi |
| 3 Aug | Sun | Aadi Amavasai Vrat | Krishna Amavasya |
| 6 Aug | Wed |
Aadi Pooram The birth of Andal (Kodhai) on the Pooram star of Aadi, celebrated grandly at Srivilliputhur. |
Shukla Tritiya |
| 9 Aug | Sat | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 15 Aug | Fri | Varalakshmi Vratham Vrat | Shukla Dwadashi |
| 18 Aug | Mon |
Avani Avittam (Upakarma) Brahmins renew the sacred thread (Yajur Upakarma) on Shravana Purnima. |
Shukla Purnima |
| 25 Aug | Mon |
Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami) The midnight birth of Lord Krishna. |
Krishna Ashtami |
September 1997 Aavani – Purattasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep | Sat |
Vinayagar Chaturthi The birth of Lord Ganesha on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. |
Shukla Chaturthi |
| 7 Sep | Sun | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
October 1997 Purattasi – Aippasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct | Sat |
Ayudha Puja / Saraswati Puja
Tools, instruments and books are placed before Goddess Saraswati and worshipped on Vijayadashami. |
Shukla Dashami |
| 30 Oct | Thu |
Deepavali The festival of lights, kept with the Ganga snanam at dawn (Naraka Chaturdashi). |
Krishna Chaturdashi |
November 1997 Aippasi – Karthikai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov | Thu |
Skanda Sashti (Soorasamharam) Six days of worship of Lord Murugan culminate in Soorasamharam — his victory over the demon Surapadman. |
Shukla Shashthi |
December 1997 Karthikai – Margazhi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Dec | Fri | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 5 Dec | Fri |
Subramanya Shashti Lord Subramanya (Kartikeya) is worshipped at Kukke and beyond on Margashirsha Shukla Shashthi. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 12 Dec | Fri |
Karthigai Deepam The Tamil festival of lights on the Krittika star of Karthigai — rows of agal vilakku are lit, and the Maha Deepam blazes atop Tiruvannamalai. |
Shukla Trayodashi |
| 16 Dec | Tue |
Dhanurmasam Begins The month of dawn Vishnu worship (Tiruppavai / Dhanurmasa) begins as the Sun enters Dhanu. |
Krishna Tritiya |
Months of the Tamil Calendar in 1997
The Tamil Calendar does not begin its year on 1 January, so each of its months straddles two Gregorian ones. These are the months that ran through 1997, covering Shaka Samvat 1918 – 1919. A month marked part is one the Gregorian year cuts short at its own start or end.
| Month | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margazhi part | 1 Jan 1997 | 13 Jan 1997 | 13 |
| Thai | 14 Jan 1997 | 12 Feb 1997 | 30 |
| Maasi | 13 Feb 1997 | 14 Mar 1997 | 30 |
| Panguni | 15 Mar 1997 | 13 Apr 1997 | 30 |
| Chithirai | 14 Apr 1997 | 14 May 1997 | 31 |
| Vaikasi | 15 May 1997 | 14 Jun 1997 | 31 |
| Aani | 15 Jun 1997 | 16 Jul 1997 | 32 |
| Aadi | 17 Jul 1997 | 16 Aug 1997 | 31 |
| Aavani | 17 Aug 1997 | 16 Sep 1997 | 31 |
| Purattasi | 17 Sep 1997 | 17 Oct 1997 | 31 |
| Aippasi | 18 Oct 1997 | 16 Nov 1997 | 30 |
| Karthikai | 17 Nov 1997 | 15 Dec 1997 | 29 |
| Margazhi part | 16 Dec 1997 | 31 Dec 1997 | 16 |
What happened in the sky in 1997
Beyond the dates the Tamil Calendar lists, 1997 brought 4 eclipses - 2 solar and 2 lunar - of which 2 were above the horizon somewhere in India. Thai Pongal fell on 14 January, 1 day earlier in the year than in 1996 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 1997
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Tamil date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 6:53 AM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) 2 days after Maha Shivaratri | Maasi Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 24 Mar 10:09 AM | Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Panguni Uthiram | Panguni Purnima | Not visible |
| 2 Sep 5:33 AM | Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Aavani Shukla Pratipada | Not visible |
| 17 Sep 12:16 AM | Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Purattasi Krishna Pratipada | Yes - Sutak observed |
Sutak Kaal was observed for 2 of these.
Guru and Shani in 1997
Neither of the slow grahas changed sign in 1997: it was a whole year of Guru (Jupiter) in Makara and Shani (Saturn) in Meena. Rahu entered Simha on 24 June 1997, carrying the eclipse axis with it.
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about the Tamil Calendar 1997
How many festivals and vrats does the Tamil Calendar list in 1997?
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1997, of which 12 are vrats. The first is Skanda Shashthi on Monday, 13 January 1997, and the last is Dhanurmasam Begins on Tuesday, 16 December 1997.
What are the main festival dates in the Tamil Calendar for 1997?
The first major observances of 1997 are:
- Thai Pongal - Tuesday, 14 January 1997
- Mattu Pongal - Wednesday, 15 January 1997
- Thaipusam - Friday, 24 January 1997
- Ratha Saptami - Thursday, 13 February 1997
- Masi Magam - Saturday, 22 February 1997
- Maha Shivaratri - Friday, 7 March 1997
Which month of 1997 has the most observances in the Tamil Calendar?
August 1997 is the fullest month with 7 dates, including Aadi Perukku, Aadi Amavasai, Aadi Pooram, Skanda Shashthi, Varalakshmi Vratham, Avani Avittam (Upakarma), Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami).
Which traditional year does 1997 correspond to in the Tamil Calendar?
The Gregorian year 1997 spans Shaka Samvat 1918 – 1919. The traditional year does not begin on 1 January, so one Gregorian year usually covers the end of one era year and the start of the next.
Did 1997 have an Adhik Maas?
No. 1997 had twelve lunar months with no Adhik Maas, so its festival dates fall in their usual Gregorian window rather than being pushed later by an intercalary month.
Were there any eclipses in 1997?
1997 had 4 eclipses:
- 9 March 1997 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 24 March 1997 - Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 2 September 1997 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
- 17 September 1997 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 2 of these were kept in India.
Did Guru or Shani change sign in 1997?
No. Neither of the slow grahas crossed a sign boundary in 1997 - it was a full year of Guru (Jupiter) in Makara</strong> and <strong>Shani (Saturn) in Meena.
How do I see the tithi and nakshatra for a specific date in 1997?
Use the month grid above: pick a month from the selector, then tap any day to open its full panchang - tithi with start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Set your city in the box at the top first, because these timings are sunrise-based and shift with location. The Tamil Calendar opens on the current month.
About the Tamil Calendar
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
Each day lists its tithi and paksha, the nakshatra, the weekday (vaar) and any festivals or vrats. Tap any day to see the full panchang for that date - tithi start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Use the month and year selectors to browse any year in the archive or plan ahead into the coming years.
This calendar names the tithi and festivals for each day. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and muhurat windows on a chosen date, open the Panchang. Other regional calendars are on the Calendars index. Fast stories live under Vrat Katha.
