What is Gudi Padwa, significance, celebration and festivities and other details

Gudi Padwa is a festival celebrated in the springtime to mark the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus. The festival is celebrated in and near the state of Maharastra and Goa on the first day of the Chaitra month. It marks the beginning of the New Year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Read on to know more about the significance, traditions and how to celebrate this festival.

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Historical legends and beliefs

Gudi Padwa connotes the arrival of the spring and to the reaping of Rabi crops. But the festival is also linked to some mythologies. Given below are some of the mythical beliefs which is why the festival of Gudi Padwa is celebrated

• The Brahma Purana, one of the Hindus' holy scriptures, notes that Lord Brahma recreated the universe after a raging diluvium in which all the time had stopped and killed all the inhabitants of the earth. Time restarted on Gudi Padva and the era of truth and justice (known as Satyug) began from this day on. So on this day, Lord Brahma is worshipped.
• It is believed that hoisting the Gudi outside of the home would ward off any negative energy, making room for good luck and well-being. During this day, many entrepreneurs inaugurate their plans, because it is considered an auspicious day.

Preparation of the Gudi Padwa

The Gudi Padwa is made by the people celebrating the festival. They buy a bright green or yellow silken cloth which has a zari brocade on it. Then it is tied on to a long bamboo stick and after that, on top of the cloth, neem leaves, gathi, a garland of red or yellow flowers and a twig with mango leaves are also tied. Then an inverted silver or copper pot is put on top of this stick with all the ornaments on it. The Gudi is prepared and is placed either at the gate or outside the window.

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Rangoli

Gudi Padwa is celebrated with decorating the floor with rangoli designs. Rangoli is one of the most popular forms of decorating the house on any auspicious Hindu festival. Since Gudi Padwa has no particular motif, the people celebrating Gudi Padwa take the liberty and use a variety of motifs in whichever combination they like.

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Celebration and Festivities

Since the festival marks the arrival of spring and the Maharashtrian new year, people clean their houses and the courtyards. On the day of the festival, they bathe in special oils and aromatics and women of the house prepare extensive rangoli at the doorstep of their house and where the Gudi is to be erected.  People dress up in their best clothes, while women dress up in sarees or salwar kameez, the men wear kurta pyjamas, preferably in the colour white.

After that, the most important ritual takes place and the  Gudi is erected. People offer prayers to Lord Brahma. People in every locality come together and perform a special ritual, that is to break a coconut kept in the Gudi by forming a human pyramid. The pyramid is formed only by men and young boys.

Another unique practice which forms part of the celebrations is the ingestion of neem leaves. These can be eaten directly or ground into a paste, and used along with jaggery and other seeds in a special preparation. This tradition has the importance of marking the beginning of the festivities. On this day, special food is prepared including a sweet dish, known as Shrikhand, which is eaten with a type of Indian bread known as Poori. Other special dishes include the sweet Indian flatbread, Soonth Panak and Chana, also known as Pooran Poli.

The attire for Gudi Padwa

Since Gudi Padwa's main celebration takes place in Maharashtra, the attire worn by the people is very traditional to the region, particularly women. The saree is draped in such a way that the bottom half looks more like dhoti pants than a long skirt, which could be in a range of bright colours. The sarees typically have gold embellishments at the border while the rest of the sarees are white, i.e. without any pattern. In addition to an elaborate gold nose pin, this ensemble is accessorized with a garland of mogra flowers in the hair which is tied in a bun. Even the earrings are in gold, with a single ornamental chain pinned to the hair. Most men and women even tie up a turban in saffron-coloured cotton cloth around their heads.

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