Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month as the New Year day by Maharashtrians. Also known as Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this festival marks the beginning of the spring season. People celebrate this festival with great spirit and joy.
Houses are cleaned prior to the festival. Colorful rangoli are designed at the entrance and people wear new clothes on this day. Maharashtrian delicacies like puran poli or sweet rotis, soonth pak, and usal are prepared.
On this day, gudis are hung outside the houses or in the localities. A 'gudi' is a pole on top of which an upturned brass or silver pot called a kalash is placed. The gudi is then covered with a colorful silk cloth. It is decorated with marigold flowers, mango leaves, and coconuts. The gudi is a symbol of nature's bounty. It is worshipped by offering sandalwood paste, turmeric, and vermilion. Then, boys and young men of the locality form a pyramid and the person on top of the pyramid breaks the coconut which is in the kalash.
My neighbors are Maharashtrians and every year on Gudi Padwa, they bring sweets or some kind of goodies to our house. Even though I am not staying in Maharashtra, my neighbors give me a feel of the Maharashtrian culture. I am very glad that my five year old child, who knew January 1st as the New Year, has learned that New Year according to Hindu calendar is different. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month.
Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the festivities by eating the leaves of the neem tree. Sometimes, a paste of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with ajwain, jaggery, and tamarind. All the members of the family consume this paste, which is believed to purify the blood and strengthen the body’s immune system against diseases.
Taking Gudi Padwa to be the suitable occasion to sensitize people towards trees and environment, the Maharashtra State Social Forestry Department has planned to sell saplings of Neem trees through 300 stalls across the state on this auspicious day.
The festival of Gudi Padwa is considered very auspicious. People begin new ventures and also choose to buy gold, silver, or property on this day. With the launch of Tata Motor's Nano, auto dealers are all excited and are looking forward to a huge demand for the product. They expect a number of inquiries for bookings to come in on this day.
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