Also known as: Gudhi Padwa, Samvatsar Padvo, Marathi New Year, Sanvsar Padvo (Konkani) · Observed: Maharashtra, Goa and Konkani communities
Significance of Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa marks the start of the lunisolar year for Marathi and Konkani speaking people. Padwa, from the Sanskrit pratipada, refers to the first day of the lunar fortnight, and the gudi is the bright flag that families hoist outside their homes. The festival falls at the start of spring, when the rabi harvest is coming in and the countryside is full of mango blossoms, and it is considered one of the three and a half most auspicious days of the year (sade-teen muhurta), on which any new venture may be started without consulting the almanac for a specific time.
The day also begins the Shalivahana Shaka era, still used in official Indian calendars, and in many households it is the occasion for buying gold, a new vehicle or entering a new home.
Legends Behind the Gudi
Several stories are linked with the gudi. One holds that it is the victory banner raised by the people of Ayodhya when Lord Rama returned after defeating Ravana. Another connects it with Brahma's creation of the universe on this day, making the gudi a Brahmadhvaja, the flag of Brahma. A Maharashtrian tradition associates the day with the victory of King Shalivahana, and in popular memory the gudi also recalls the flags of the Maratha armies. Whatever the story, the gudi is understood as a symbol of victory, prosperity and the triumph of good order.
How Gudi Padwa Is Celebrated
Early in the morning, after an oil bath, the gudi is prepared. A long bamboo staff is topped with a bright silk or cotton cloth, usually green or yellow with a zari border. Over this is placed an inverted copper or silver kalash, and the staff is tied with neem leaves, mango leaves, a garland of flowers and a string of sugar crystals called gathi. The gudi is raised at the main door, on a window or on the terrace, on the right side of the entrance, so that it is visible from the street. It is worshipped with haldi, kumkum and flowers, and taken down before sunset.
Courtyards are decorated with rangoli, and in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur large processions called shobha yatras fill the streets with lezim dancers, dhol-tasha troupes and women in nauvari saris. In Goa and the Konkan coast the day is called Sanvsar Padvo, and the reading of the year's almanac is an important part of the observance.
Food and Customs
The first thing eaten on Gudi Padwa is a paste of tender neem leaves mixed with jaggery, tamarind, cumin and a little salt. It is bitter and sweet together, said to purify the blood at the change of season and to remind the eater that life holds both flavours. The festive meal usually includes shrikhand-puri, puran poli, sabudana preparations and kheer. Families greet relatives with wishes for a prosperous year, and many visit temples of Ganesha or the family deity.
How the Date Is Determined
Gudi Padwa is fixed by the same rule as Ugadi: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada in the amanta lunar calendar, which Maharashtra follows. The festival is kept on the day when Pratipada tithi is in force at sunrise, which is normally the day after the new moon that ends the month of Phalguna. When an adhika Chaitra occurs, the new year is celebrated in the regular Chaitra month.
Rituals and customs
- Oil bath at dawn
- Raising the gudi with silk cloth, inverted kalash, neem and mango leaves and a sugar garland
- Rangoli at the entrance
- Eating neem leaves with jaggery
- Shobha yatra processions in towns
- Taking down the gudi before sunset