Twitter on Friday introduced its first-ever emoji that celebrates Puthandu (also known as Puthuvarusham) and Vishu – the New Year celebrations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala respectively – that fall on April 14 and 15.
The emoji will be active from April 14 at 9 am all the way until April 15, Twitter said in a statement.
"We're excited to celebrate Puthandu and Vishu with a special Twitter emoji which will be activated through English, Tamil and Malayalam hashtags," said Keya Madhvani-Singh, Head of Entertainment Partnerships, Twitter India.
The emoji is available in English, Tamil and Malayalam. For English, tweet with #HappyPuthandu and #HappyVishu, for Tamil, use #புத்தாண்டுநல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் and for Malayalam, tweet with the #വിഷുആശംസകൾ hashtags.
Various celebrities, including actor Mohanlal, PM Narendra Modi and British MP Paul Scully, among others, joined in the celebrations by wishing people a Happy Puthandu and Vishu.
We are happy to celebrate the Tamil and Malayalam new year with a special #HappyPuthandu and #HappyVishu emoji launching tomorrow! Tweet with the English, Tamil #புத்தாண்டுநல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் or Malayalam #വിഷുആശംസകൾ Hashtags this weekend to see the special emoji appear. pic.twitter.com/0SVLTNJDLB
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) April 13, 2018
Wishing you all a good harvest of happiness and prosperity . Are you all ready to embrace the new year and welcome Vishu #വിഷുആശംസകൾ
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) April 14, 2018
So the special emoji is working #HappyPuthandu #புத்தாண்டுநல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் #HappyVishu #വിഷുആശംസകൾ . Thank you @TwitterIndia https://t.co/Paaz6NxRDC
— Rajasekar (@sekartweets) April 14, 2018
தமிழ் புத்தாண்டை முன்னிட்டு தமிழர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் வாழ்த்துகள். வரும் ஆண்டில் தமிழர்கள் விருப்பங்களும் விழைவுகள் அனைத்தும் ஈடேற வேண்டுகிறேன்.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2018
വിഷു ആശംസകള് ! പുതുവര്ഷം പുതിയ പ്രതീക്ഷകളും, കൂടുതല് സമൃദ്ധിയും, നല്ല ആരോഗ്യവും കൊണ്ടുവരട്ടെ.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2018
Greetings on the happy occasions of Vishu, Tuluva new year, Puthandu, Pana Sankranti, Biju, Alathu Aharudhuvas and Bohag Bihu. May the new year bring you joy, happiness & prosperity!
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 14, 2018
Oh twitter got a Vishu emoji. #HappyVishu
— N.S. Madhavan (@NSMlive) April 14, 2018
The emoji is designed to represent people celebrating Puthandu and Vishu by holding diyas, symbolic of the welcoming of prosperity and happiness during the year.
While Puthandu is celebrated on April 14, Vishu is celebrated on April 15.
Twitter in the recent past has created a few emojis to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Ambedkar Jayanti and Diwali.