Tamil Heritage Month

Tamil Heritage Month, started in 2010, aims to celebrate the history of Canada’s Tamil community and its contribution to the social, cultural, political and economic strength of Canada. While recognizing our accomplishments and tracing our roots, Tamil Heritage Month will provide opportunities to celebrate Tamils’ history in Canada as well. In addition, this month will actively celebrate Tamil heritage and rejuvenate Tamil culture in Canada.

The objectives of the Tamil Heritage Month are five-fold:

1. To celebrate the richness of the Tamil language and literature
   
2. To celebrate the traditions, arts, and culture of Tamils around the world
   
3. To educate Canadians of all backgrounds about the language, traditions and history of the Tamil people
   
4. To highlight the achievements of Tamils in various fields both in the past and the present
   
5. To advance the growth and prosperity of Tamils
   

The month of January was chosen as the Tamil Heritage Month for a number of reasons. The Pongal festival, the most important and widely-celebrated festival amongst Tamils around the world, falls in the middle of the month. Pongal is both a time of thanksgiving for the blessings of a past year and a time to look forward to the start of a new year. The first month of the Tamil calendar, Thai, begins in the middle of January.

Thanks,
Neethan Shan
Founder and Chair – Tamil Heritage Month Coordinating Committee