Gudi Padwa

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Gudi raised in front of a house.jpg

Gudi Padwa
A new year procession on Gudi Padwa festival, Dombivli Maharashtra.jpg
A Gudi Padwa new year festive procession in Maharashtra
Official nameGudi Padwa
Also calledMarathi New Year, Hindu New Year
Observed by Marathi and Konkani Hindus
TypeReligious (Hindu), social, cultural
Celebrations1 day
ObservancesPeople clean and decorate their houses with colourful rangolis and Gudis.
DateChaitra Shukla Pratipada
FrequencyAnnual
Related to Ugadi, Cheti Chand
Explanatory note
Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Contents

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.

Gudi Padwa is a spring festival marking the start of the lunisolar new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus. [1] It is celebrated in and around Maharashtra, Goa & Damaon at the start of Chaitra, the first month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. The festival is characterised by colourful floor decorations called rangoli , a special gudi dvaja; which is a saari or dhoti or other piece of cloth garlanded with flowers, mango & neem leaves; a sugar crystal garland called gathi, topped with upturned silver or copper vessels. Celebration also includes street gathering, dancing & festive foods. [1] [2]

Raising gudhi is main ritual of Gudhi Paadvaa Gudipadwagudi.jpg
Raising gudhi is main ritual of Gudhi Paadvaa

In Maharashtra, the first day of the bright phase of the moon is called gudhi paadwaa (Marathi : गुढी पाडवा), pādvo (Konkani : पाडयो; Kannada : ಪಾಡ್ಯ; Telugu: పాడ్యమి, paadyami). Konkani Hindus variously refer to the day as sausāra pāḍavo or sausāra pāḍyo (सौसार पाडवो and सौसार पाडयो, respectively).Kannada Hindus in Karnataka refer to it as [Ugadi]] (युगादि/ ಯುಗಾದಿ),while,Telugu Hindus celebrate the same occasion as Ugadi , [. Sindhi people celebrate the day as Cheti Chand , it is observed as the emergence of the day of Jhulelal. Prayers are offered to Jhulelal, and the festival is celebrated by making delicacies like tahiri (sweet rice) and sai bhaji . [3]

However, this is not the universal new year for all Hindus. For some, such as those in and near Gujarat, the new year festivities coincide with the five-day Diwali festival. [4] For many others, the new year falls on Vaisakhi between 13 and 15 April, according to the solar cycle part of the Hindu lunisolar calendar and this is by far the most popular not only among Hindus of the Indian subcontinent but also among Buddhists and Hindus of Southeast Asia. [4]

Etymology

Gudi means 'flag'; according to Kittel, the term is of South Indian origin. [5] The word pāḍavā is derived from the Sanskrit word pratipad for the first day of each fortnight in a lunar month, or the first day on which the moon appears after the "new moon" day ( amāvāsya ) and the first day after the full moon. A Gudhi is also hoisted on this occasion, giving this festival its name. The term padva or padavo is also associated with Balipratipada. [6]

Significance

Gudi Padva signifies the arrival of spring and the reaping of rabi crops. [7] The festival is linked to the day on which the Hindu god Brahma created time and the universe. [8] To some, it commemorates the coronation of Rama in Ayodhya after his victory over Ravana, or the start of the Shalivahan calendar after he defeated the Huns in the first century. [9] According to Anne Feldhaus, in rural Maharashtra, the festival is linked to Shiva's dance and the coming together of the community as they carry the Gudi Kavads together to a Shiva temple. [10]

The guḍhī

During Gudi Padwa, gudi (or gudhi) are arranged at every household. It is a bright, colorful silk scarf-like cloth tied at the top of a long bamboo. On top of it, one or more boughs of neem and mango leaves are attached with a garland of flowers. It is capped with a silver, bronze, or copper pot (handi or kalash), signifying victory or achievement. [11] [12]

Some temples are located on the top of hills, and groups work together to help reach the kavad to the top. [12]

The Gudhi Padwa festival marks the new year, but also celebrates victory of Maratha warriors in processions. A new year procession on Gudi Padwa festival, Dombivli Maharashtra 2.jpg
The Gudhi Padwa festival marks the new year, but also celebrates victory of Maratha warriors in processions.

Some of the significances attributed to raising a gudi are as follows: [7]

Festivities

Rangoli made on Gudhi Padwa Rangoli of Lights.jpg
Rangoli made on Gudhi Padwa

Traditionally, families prepare a special dish that mixes various flavours, particularly the bitter leaves of the neem tree and sweet jaggery (gur, gul). Additional ingredients include sour tamarind and astringent dhane seeds. This, like the pacchadi recipe used in Ugadi festival, is eaten as a reminder of life's sweet and bitter experiences and a belief that the neem-based mixture has health benefits. [11] [13]

Other names

The festival is also known as [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious festival</span> Time of special importance marked by adherents of some religion

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar New Year</span> Beginning of a year in a lunar calendar

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ugadi</span> Telugu and Kannada Hindu new year festival

Ugadi or Yugadi, also known as Samvatsarādi, is New Year's Day according to the Hindu calendar and is celebrated in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. The cycle actually consists of 60 years, each year individually named. The first day of each year is called 'Ugadi'. The word Ugadi can be split into two: Uga means Course of Stars and Adi means Starting. It is festively observed in these regions on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra. This typically falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar. It also falls during the Tamil month of either Panguni or Chithrai, sometimes on the day after Amavasya with 27th Nakshatra Revati. Ugadi day is pivoted on the first New Moon after March Equinox.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaitra</span> First month of the Hindu calendar

Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaisakha</span> Month in Hindu calendar

Vaisakha is a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds to April/May in the Gregorian Calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Vaisakha is the second month of the year. It is the first month of the Vikram Samvat calendar, Odia calendar, Maithili Calendar, Punjabi calendar, Assamese calendar and the Bengali calendar. This month lies between the second half of April and the first half of May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaisakhi</span> Religious, harvest and traditional new year festival

Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern India. Whilst it is culturally significant as a festival of harvest, in many parts of India, Vaisakhi is also the date for the Indian Solar New Year.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheti Chand</span> New year day of Sindhi Hindus

Chetri Chandra is a festival that marks the beginning of the Lunar Hindu New Year for Sindhi Hindus. The date of the festival is based on the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, falling on the first day of the year, in the Sindhi month of Chet (Chaitra). It typically falls in late March or early April in the Gregorian calendar on or about the same day as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in other parts of the Deccan region and Hindu Samvat Nav Varsha or beginning on New Year in Hindu Samvat Calendar of India.

<i>Balipratipada</i> Hindu festival commemorating the victory of Vishnu over Mahabali

Balipratipada, also called as Bali-Padyami, Padva, Virapratipada or Dyutapratipada, is the fourth day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in honour of the notional return of the daitya-king Bali (Mahabali) to earth. Balipratipada falls in the Gregorian calendar months of October or November. It is the first day of the Hindu month of Kartika and is the first day of its bright lunar fortnight. In many parts of India such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is the regional traditional New Year Day in Vikram Samvat and also called the Bestu Varas or Varsha Pratipada. This is the half amongst the three and a half Muhūrtas in a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jhulelal (Hinduism)</span> Incarnation of Varuna

Jhulelal a folkloric deity among the sect of Sindhis, the most revered deity of Sindhi Hindus in the modern-day republics of Pakistan and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pana Sankranti</span> Odia new year

Pana Sankranti,, also known as Maha Bishuba Sankranti, is the traditional new year day festival of Odia people in Odisha, India. The festival occurs in the solar Odia calendar on the first day of the traditional solar month of Meṣa, hence equivalent lunar month Baisakha. This falls on the Purnimanta system of the Indian Hindu calendar. It therefore falls on 13/14 April every year on the Gregorian calendar.

Chalio/Chaliho also called Chaliho Sahib is a forty-day-long festival celebrated by Sindhi Hindu community.

Prathama or Pratipada is the Sanskrit word for "first", and is the first day in the lunar fortnight (Paksha) of the Hindu calendar. Each month has two Prathama days, being the first day of the "bright" (Shukla) and of the "dark" (Krishna) fortnights respectively. Prathama occurs on the first and the sixteenth day of each month.

Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesha Sankranti</span> Solar New Year in the Hindu calendar

Mesha Sankranti refers to the first day of the solar cycle year, that is the solar New Year in the Hindu luni-solar calendar. The Hindu calendar also has a lunar new year, which is religiously more significant. The solar cycle year is significant in Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Bengali calendars.

References

  1. 1 2 Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-14-341421-6.
  2. ↑ "Gudi Padwa, Government of Maharashtra". maharashtratourism.gov.in. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Cheti Chand 2021: History and Significance of Jhulelal Jayanti". News18. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 Karen Pechilis; Selva J. Raj (2013). South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today. Routledge. pp. 48–49. ISBN   978-0-415-44851-2.
  5. ↑ Gowda, Deve; Gowda, Javare (1998). Village Names of Mysore District: An Analytical Study. Asian Educational Services. p. 55. ISBN   81-206-1390-2 . Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Balipratipada: Bali Puja 2020 date: Bali Pratipada story and significance". The Times of India. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Significance of Gudhi Padwa". Hindu Jagriti Samiti. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Gudi Padwa 2021: Date, Time, History, Celebration, Significance". S A NEWS. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Gudi Padva, government of Maharashtra Tourism Office
  10. ↑ Anne Feldhaus (2003). Connected Places: Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in India. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 48–57, 72–83. ISBN   978-1-4039-8134-9.
  11. 1 2 William D. Crump (2014). Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide. McFarland. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-7864-9545-0.
  12. 1 2 Anne Feldhaus (2003). Connected Places: Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in India. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 48–57. ISBN   978-1-4039-8134-9.
  13. ↑ Ernest Small (2011). Top 100 Exotic Food Plants. CRC Press. p. 411. ISBN   978-1-4398-5688-8.
  14. ↑ "Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (Gudhi Padwa)". Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.
  15. ↑ Gajrani, S. History, Religion and Culture of India. Vol. 3. p. 108.
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