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Gudi
Padwa : (March/ April)
The
Rajasthani’s
as well as that of Maharashtran’s
New Year's Day, Gudi Padwa, celebrated on the first day of the
Hindu month of Chaitra, is the beginning of Vasant or spring. This
is also the beginning of the new year for these communities.
Shishir,
the season when the trees shed their leaves, is over.The 'Brahma
Purana' holds this to be the day on which Brahma created the world
after the deluge, and from which he began
to
count time.
The
sun's entry into the zodiac sign of Aries marks the vernal
equinox. The sun shines directly over the equator, days and nights
are of equal length. To those from Maharashtra's Konkan coast,
Gudi Padwa brings the smell of the surangi flower and the
overwhelming fragrance of the mango and jackfruit in bloom.
The
branches of mango trees are laden with fruit, raw and ripe. The
harvested wheat, bajra and sunflower are packed and ready for the
weekly markets in town. The women are preparing the dough for
papads and other yummies from wheat and rice that will be dried on
cotton saris laid out on verandahs,terraces and farmyards, then
stored in large china jars.
Little
bundles of khus are being put in the water and the bottles, full
of kokam and rose water stored away last year, are being opened.
It's
that time of year when India celebrates the New Year in diverse
forms.
Older
people in the Konkan are busy plucking fruit, packing it and
seeing it off to markets local and abroad. Children will be busy
cleaning and plastering farmyards with fresh cowdung. Rangoli will
be more elaborate, reflecting the brightness of spring.
On
Maharashtra's plateaus and plains, flower markets will bloom.
There will be a riot of colour as jhendu, mogra and sunflower are
offloaded by the ton.
Traditionally,
a Gudi Padwa morning opens with the eating of the bittersweet
leaves of the neem tree. Traditional Maharashtrians also make a
paste of neem leaves and mix it with ajwain, tamarind and jaggery.
The paste is then eaten by the entire family. The neem paste is
believed to purify the blood and build up immunity in the body
against diseases.
A
silk cloth is tied to a pole with a brass goblet or kalash atop
it, which is supposed to drive away evil from the house.This is
raised aloft and worshipped. Since
this resembles a girl child, it is called as a “gudi” (derived
from “gudiya”
meaning a doll) It is fir this reason also that this day is called
as Gudi Padva (padva means an auspicious occasion)
Colourful
gudis decorate poles with silk flags which support brass or silver
pots These are prominently displayed in the homes of most
traditional families. The gudis are expected to usher in
prosperity and good fortune. A
silk cloth is tied to a pole with a brass goblet or kalash atop
it, which is supposed to drive away evil from the house.This is
raised aloft and worshipped. Many homes also decorate
the pots with coconuts, flowers and mango leaves, symbolising
nature's bounty to all.
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