Dhanu Thiruvathira ധനു തിരുവാതിര
Dhanu Thiruvathira, on the Thiruvathira star in the cold month of Dhanu, is a festival of Shiva and Parvati kept mostly by women, with fasting, night-long singing and the Thiruvathirakali dance.
| Year | Occasion | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thiruvathira (Thiruvathira star in Dhanu) | |
| 2027 | Thiruvathira (Thiruvathira star in Dhanu) |
Calculated for Thiruvananthapuram with sidereal (Lahiri) positions. Temple and devaswom announcements take precedence.
How the date is fixed
The festival falls on the Thiruvathira nakshatra (Ardra) in the month of Dhanu, between mid-December and mid-January. In Tamil Nadu the same day is celebrated as Arudra Darshanam.
Customs
- Fasting: married women pray for their husbands, and young women for a good partner. Rice is avoided, and meals are built around tubers and banana.
- Thiruvathira puzhukku: a dish of yam, colocasia, sweet potato, raw banana and beans in coconut, together with koova payasam made from arrowroot.
- Thiruvathirakali: a graceful group dance performed in a circle around a lit lamp, with songs in praise of Shiva and Parvati.
- Pathira poochoodal: women gather flowers late at night and wear them after worship at midnight.
A woman's first Thiruvathira after marriage, the poothiruvathira, is celebrated with particular care.
Questions
When is Thiruvathira?
On the Thiruvathira star in the Malayalam month of Dhanu, usually late December or early January.