New Year special prayer being held at St. Xavier’s Church Cathedral in Tirunelveli.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
With the commencement of 2026 on Thursday, the people of southern districts welcomed New Year with festive pomp and fervour. Special masses and prayers were held across Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts, drawing a large number of devotees.
In Kanniyakumari district, a large number of people thronged beaches to welcome the New Year. Kanniyakumari district Superintendent of Police (SP) R. Stalin, participated in the New Year celebration organised at Kanniyakumari seashore and cut the festive cake.
At Xavier’s Cathedral in Kottar, Rev Nazarene Soosai led a special midnight mass. Similar masses were also held across Catholic churches and CSI congregations of Kanniyakumari district.
In Thoothukudi district midnight masses were conducted at churches to bid farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026. Thanksgiving prayers for 2025 were conducted followed by special prayers.
A large number of people gathered at Subramaniya Swamy temple in Tiruchendur for New Year darshan. The temple’s doors were opened at 1 a.m. and devotees witnessed Vishwaroopa darshan at around 1:30 a.m. followed by abishekam and Deeparadhana. Thousands of devotees waited in long queues from Wednesday night to have a glimpse of the deity. Additional police personnel were deployed on duty to manage the crowd and to ensure the safety of the people.
The churches and temples in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi district also witnessed participation of a large number of people during New Year special masses and pujas.
Extensive security arrangements were made and police patrolled major roads across the southern districts to prevent untoward incidents and ensure smooth celebrations.
Published – January 01, 2026 07:32 pm IST
