Residents of Tamil Nadu welcomed the New Year on Friday amid prayers and revelry.
People thronged temples, beaches and hotels, burst crackers and wished each other as the clock struck midnight.
Governor K. Rosaiah, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and other political leaders wished people well on the New Year.
"Visit to a temple, watching television, wishing friends are on my day's list," J. Murali, a public sector employee, told IANS.
As the New Year dawned, a new dress code for devotees visiting temples also came into force in the wake of the Madras High Court orders.
The hcgh Court had ordered wearing of decent clothes at temples. According to these orders, male devotees are to wear shirts, dhotis or trousers while females are to wear sarees and other traditional attires.
Wearing of 'lungis' (wraparounds), bermudas, jeans and tight leggings are banned.
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Some temples implemented the rules strictly and some were somewhat lenient on the first day of the year.
Meanwhile, the New Year's eve saw hotels across the state doing brisk business. People also shopped for consumer durables that were on offer at special discounted prices.