Chennai: It was muted celebrations as people of the megapolis and other parts of Tamilnadu ushered in the New year with spiritual fervour by visiting temples and churches, bidding a good riddance to 2021 and praying for a fresh hope in 2022.
Taking into account the rise in Covid daily caseload and driven by the highly contagious and fast spreading Omicron variant, the Tamilnadu government has banned New year revelry in public places, including in the Marina beach front, where lakhs of people used to congregate every year.
Since the public entry to beaches were banned , in many places theĀ New Year eve celebrations were muted for the second straight yearĀ in view of the pandemic.
Despite the surge in Omicron cases in the country, it has not resulted inĀ the same levels of hospitalisation and fatalities as seen during the secondĀ Covid wave, offering a glimmer of hope for a pandemic-free 2022.
The people of this teeming megapolis ushered in the New year with spiritualĀ fervour and traditional gaiety.
As the clock struck 12, shouts of ‘Happy New Year’ rent the air, as people,Ā especially those in apartment complexes, ushered in the 2022, with fireworks lighting up the night skies with the rain mercifully staying away.
The Marina beach front, which would resemble a sea of humanity, woreĀ a deserted look this year. Vehicular traffic was banned on the arterialĀ beach road and barricades were erected on all roads leading to the beachĀ to prevent people from congregating.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements and more than 10,000Ā police personnel were deployed on security duty in the city, including atĀ the ECR stretch.
People ushered in the new year by drawing colourful rangolis in front of their houses. Despite the surge in Covid cases, the State government has allowed entry of people in temples, churches and places of worship at midnight in view of the New year.
Special poojas and abhishekams were also held at various temples across the State.Ā Special midnight masses were held in various churches across the state andĀ the churches were tastefully decorated and illuminated to mark the occasion.
A large number of faithfuls thronged the Santhome Basilica in the city and at Velankanni church in Besant Nagar.
People attired in new clothes thronged temples early in the morning to offer worship by wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.
A large number of people were seen in temples, including at the famous SriĀ Parthasarathy temple, Lord Kapaleeswarar temple and Lord Muruga temple at Vadapalani in the city.
Elsewhere in the State, a large number of people offered prayers at the ancient Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam, Lord Varadharajaswamy temple at Kancheepuram, Goddess Meenakshi Amman temple at Madurai, Goddess Kamatchi Amman temple in Kancheepuram and at Sri Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram.
Huge crowds were also seen in all the six abodes of Lord Muruga, including Sri Subramanya Swamy temple in Tiruttani as devotees thronged in large numbers to offer prayers.
Tamilnadu Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin, AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami and leaders of various political parties extended their New Year greetings to the people on the occasion.