In Kerala, the new year doesn’t wait for a chilly January night. It turns up in August, right when the heavy rains start to ease and the sun peeks through a bit more. The air feels lighter, the days look clearer, and it’s like the whole place is ready to start fresh. They call it Kolla Varsham Aarambam or Chingam 1. In 2025, it will fall on August 17. That is the morning when Malayalis, wherever they are, from Alappuzha to Abu Dhabi, will quietly step into Kolla Varsham 1201. It is not a noisy festival. You don’t have firecrackers bursting or countdowns. But it has got something else, a kind of old, steady heartbeat that has been going for more than a thousand years.

Kolla Varsham: The clock that has been ticking since 825 AD

The Malayalam calendar is a bit different. It doesn’t start in January or April. It starts in the middle of August, with Chingam. And the interesting thing is, people have been using it since 825 AD. One story says it started when Venad broke free from Perumal rule. Maybe it is true, maybe not, historians still argue. But the idea stuck: the first day of Chingam is not just a page in a calendar, it is a quiet nod to Kerala’s sense of self.

The 2025 Date and Timings for the Malayalam New Year

Sunday, August 17, 2025: Chingam 1

Kolla Varsham 1200 ends the day before.

A new year starts with the sunrise.

If you are old-school, you check the panchangam, not for superstition, but to know exactly what kind of day you are stepping into.

Vishu vs. Chingam 1: Two new years?

Kerala likes balance, maybe that’s why it has two ‘New Years.’ Vishu in April is all about the Sun moving into a new sign, with the Vishu Kani in the morning to fill your eyes with good things. Chingam 1 in August is the official start of the calendar year. Vishu feels like poetry, while Chingam 1 feels like the to-do list pinned on the fridge.

Traditions of the Malayalam New Year

If you wake up in Kerala on Chingam 1, you will notice people heading to temples early, wearing fresh clothes. Not for a big show, but just to ask for a good year. You will see a few acts of quiet kindness, like a bag of rice left for a neighbour, old clothes given away, or a small donation at the temple box. Some people open shops or start small ventures on this day, because it is supposed to bring luck. In some towns, there will be music or dance programs, nothing grand, but enough to remind you it is a special day. Chingam comes after the heavy rains have eased up. The air is damp but clean, the fields are green, and farmers start thinking about the next crop. It is also the warm-up act for Onam, which will take over the month soon enough.

Astrological significance of Malayalam New Year 2025

On August 17, the Sun moves into Leo. In the zodiac world, that’s the sign of confidence, leadership, and a spark of creativity. But you don’t have to believe in charts to feel it. It’s the sort of time that makes you want to stand a little taller, try something new, maybe be a bit kinder too. In Kerala, it’s days filled with pride for what’s theirs,  the food, the festivals, the people, and a kind of ‘we’re in this together feeling. It is a pretty good moment to get your head clear about what you want, take a few bold steps toward it, and keep close to the people who matter. You might notice you are speaking up more, chasing an old dream again, or just feeling braver for no reason. Things with friends and family can feel warmer, and ideas, the good kind, come a little easier.

Plenty of people follow the January-to-December grind now. But Chingam 1 doesn’t care. It stays because it’s stitched into the language, the seasons, the way people talk about time. It’s a link back to something that was here before airports and smartphones.

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