The culturally rich heritage is the epitome of many festivals and celebrations that goes on throughout the year. Festivals are always fun and frolic filled up with the rituals and traditions followed by yummy delicacies and acquiring new attires. However, modern we maybe but festivals always manage to bring the true desiness within us.

Gudi Padwa is widely celebrated by Maharashtrians welcoming the start of New Year according to the Hindu calendar. The Padwa fiesta falls on the first day of Hindu month Chaitra and the legend says that Lord Brahma created the universe again after it was destroyed in inundation. Gudi Padwa is the Marathi name of the festival Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, where the Gudi means a pole or a bamboo stick on top of which a copper or silver pot is upturned and kept and Padwa means New Year that marks the end on harvest and beginning of new one.

A week before the festival people start their spring cleaning at home. The Gudi is decorated with a floral garland, sugar crystal called gathi mango leaves, and a vibrant colored silk cloth. The Gudi should be worshipped after 5 or 20 minutes of early sunrise. The woman draws colorful rangolis outside the house and also adorns their doors with mango leaves called as toran. It is tradition to eat a mixture of neem leaves and jaggery. There is yummy delicacies and sweet called puranpoli made as a part of celebration.

A swaghat yatra happens, where the Women dressed in nauvaris ride bikes and also sport pheta as a part of celebration. Women wear traditional nauvari silk sarees which are generally in green, orange or yellow in color as they are termed to be auspicious. It is said that people buy gold jewelry on account of Gudi Padwa. Women adorn beautiful Maharashtrian jewelry which is known for their unique embellishments like thushi, mohanmal, bhudgi, and saaj which are inspired by the Peshawari era. Married women wear the traditional ambi nath or nose ring which is created using pearls and stones. They also adorn beautiful lakshmi necklace, bakuri haar, Kolhapuri saaj, and designs inspired by temple jewelry.

Not just Maharashtrians but also people from the state of Karnataka and Andra Pradesh also celebrate the start of year which is called Ugadi or Yugadi. The word uga means era and aadi means new beginning. It follows the same legend as Gudi Padwa and also it is believed that the end of winter and the start of spring symbolize the new beginning and new life. Ugadi is New Year according to luni-solar calendar for Kannadigas and Telegus.

The auspicious day starts with oil bath followed by prayers. According to the scriptures eating neem leaves is a must on this day as a part of the tradition. As the day goes, Ugadi Pachadi in Telegus and Bevu Bella in Kannadigas a unique savory are made using six different tastes like sour(tamarind), sweet(jaggery), spicy(chilly/pepper), tangy(ripe mango), bitter(neem leaves), and salty(salt). This dish symbolizes the bitter as well the sweet experiences of life from which we need to learn and move on with the life. Traditionally, reading literary works, poetic recitations, chanting of mantras, listening to the future predictions, and hearing classical music are a part of the Ugadi celebration.

Ugadi is marked with merriment and zeal. People buy new clothes and gold jewelries as well. The traditional outfits worn are silk sarees by women and half sarees by young girls and they adorn beautiful authentic gold jewelry like jhumkis, mango mala, temple jewelry, and gold choker necklace with beads and stones.

One more community celebrates their new year on the same day. They are the Sindhis and their festival is called as cheti chand. It is celebrated to honor the birth of Sindhi patron Ishtadevta Udeorlal, popularly known as Saint Jhulelal thereby making it as their new year for them. This falls on second day of the Chaitra month which is on 22^nd March this year. Sindhis worldwide consider his birth as auspicious and worship water as elixir of life.  On this day Sindhis take a huge procession of Baharana Sahib to a nearby bank.

It’s time to enjoy, sit back and dunk in the fiesta of celebration and celebrate the new beginning and new life. Happy Gudi Padwa and Happy Ugadi and Happy Cheti Chand!