India is well known all over the world as a country of
cultural and traditional festivals as it has many cultures and religions. One
of it is “Gudi Padwa”. Gudhi Padwa is a spring-time festival that marks the
traditional New Year for Marathi Hindus. It is celebrated in and near
Maharashtra on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the
New Year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar.
The festival is linked to the mythical day on which Hindu
god Brahma created time and universe. To some, it commemorates the coronation
of Rama in Ayodhya after his victory over evil Ravana, or alternatively the
start of Shalivahan calendar after he defeated the Huns invasion in the 1st
century.
Gudi means flag, erect flag on the houses as part of the celebration
in Maharashtra where it is mainly celebrated. The word “Padava” is derived from
the Sanskrit word “Pratipad” for the first day of each fortnight in a lunar
month i.e. the first day on which the moon appears after the so-called
"new moon" day and the first day after the full moon.
On the festive day, courtyards in village houses will be
swept clean and plastered with fresh cow-dung. Even in the city, people take
the time out to do some spring cleaning. Women and children work on intricate
rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours mirroring the burst of
colour associated with spring. Everyone dresses up in new clothes and it is a
time for family gatherings.
The same New Year festival is known by other names in
different regions of the Indian subcontinent. However, this is not the
universal New Year for all Hindus.
