Chitra Pournami (festival)

Chitra Pournami is an Indian festival celebrated by Hindus, especially Tamils. It is observed on the day of the full moon in the month of Chithirai or Chaitra, corresponding in the Gregorian calendar to a day in April or May. The festival is dedicated to Chitragupta, a Hindu deity who is believed to record the good and bad deeds done by men for Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. On this day, devotees ask Chitragupta to forgive their sins. On the festival day, many devotees bathe in rivers or other water bodies to symbolise their sins being washed away. This is especially popular at the river Chitra in the district of Tirunelveli (Tinnevelly) in Tamil Nadu, India.