|
|
| Home »
Gudi Padwa |
Gudi Padwa |
| |
The people of Maharashtra celebrate New Year or Gudi Padwa on Chaitra Sukla Patipada. The New Year celebration is one of the major festivals of the region as it ushers a new beginning and announces the onset of spring. The date of the celebration is determined by the Hindu calendar according to which the month of Chaitra is regarded as the first month of the year. The New Year celebration of Maharashtra also coincides with the New Year celebrations in other parts of India namely Vishu and Ugadi.
The day is also celebrated as the day when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. The day thus represents the triumph of good over evil.
|
Gudi: the carrier of good
Gudi Padwa has a very strong cultural influence on the people and Marathis earnestly follow their traditions during the celebrations. A gudi, which is a flag, is hung at the entrance and it is from this that the celebration has got its name. The gudi is said to be the harbinger of goodness and prosperity. It is believed to be the flag carried by Lord Brahma when he created the universe on the auspicious day of Gudi Padwa. So, it is also called the ‘Brahmadhwaj’.
People take special care while decorating their gudis with bright colored clothes, brocades, auspicious mango and neem leaves, sugar crystals and garlands of red flowers before hanging it at their doors. As a tradition, a special offering of neem leaves, tamarind, jaggery, ajwain and gram pulses is offered to the gudi before placing it outside the house. The oblation is then eaten by all in the house as it is believed to purify the blood.
Gudi Padwa celebration
Gudi Padwa is celebrated for three and a half days but the festivities begin before a week of the event. Preparations to usher the New Year begins with cleaning the house and decorating it for the celebration. People hang buntings of mango leaves and red flowers and make elaborate ‘rangolis’ at entrances in an effort to ward off the evil and protect the household from bad omens.
New clothes and utensils are bought on this day. Buying silver and gold items on the auspicious event of Gudi Padwa is also a popular tradition and long queues can be seen before jewelry shops on this day.
Special pujas are offered to deities on the day to invoke their blessings and devotees gather at the temples early morning to listen to ‘Panchangasravanam' – the predictions made by the head priest about the year. The gudi is erected each morning of the three days and removed before the sunset.
Special delicacies are made and savored with friends and family members. Traditional dishes such as puran poli, soonth pak, shrikhand, jalebis etc. are prepared during the event.
Since the event also marks the beginning of the harvest season in Maharashtra the first tilling of land also takes place on this day. But before the farmer plough the soil, a special puja is offered to the oxen and to instruments used for farming. The laborers are gifted with new clothes and a meal is prepared with pumpkin, mung dal, rice, gram lentil and jaggery.
Send
Gudi Padwa Cards |
|
