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Gudi
Padwa
Gudi
Padwa, also known as Ugadi, is celebrated on the first day
of the Hindu month of Chaitra, which according to the Gregorian
calendar would fall sometime at the end of March and the beginning
of April. This festival is supposed to mark the beginning
of 'Vasant' or spring. According to the 'Brahma Purana', this
is the day on which Brahma created the world after the deluge
and time began to tick from this day forth. |
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This
is a time of the year when the sun's rays increase in intensity,
going from mellow to hot. The crops have been harvested
and the fruits of the harvest are making their way to the
marketplaces. Mangoes, the king of fruit, ripening to orange
under the sun's warmth, are in season once again. The ripe
smell of jackfruit fills the air. Shrubs and trees are bursting
into flower. Everything is fresh and new. It looks and smells
like spring (or the best impersonation of quintessential
springtime that the Indian climate can do).
India was, and still is to a certain extent,
a predominantly agrarian society. Thus, celebrations and
festivals were often linked to the turn of the season and
to the sowing and reaping of crops. There is a theory that
the word 'padwa' might have its roots in the Sanskrit word
for crop, which is 'Pradurbhu.' The word 'padwa' as used
contemporarily means 'New Year', but this day also marks
the end of one harvest and the beginning of a new one, which
for an agricultural community would signify the beginning
of a New Year. In the case of Gudi Padwa, it is celebrated
at the end of the Rabi season. The term 'padava' or 'padavo'
is also associated with Diwali, another New Year celebration
that comes at the end of the harvesting season, thus substantiating
the agricultural link to the festival.
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On
the festive day, courtyards in village houses will be swept clean
and plastered with fresh cowdung. Even in the city, people take
the time out to do some springcleaning. Women and children work
on intricate rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours
mirroring the burst of colour associated with spring. Everyone dresses
up in new clothes and it is a time for family gatherings. Specialities
like soonth panak and chana usal are eaten on this day.
Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the festivities by
eating the bittersweet leaves of the neem tree. Sometimes, a paste
of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with ajwain, gul, tamarind
and jaggery. 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.
While the 'padwa' part has been explained, you're probably wondering
what a 'gudi' is. A 'gudi' is a pole on top of which an upturned
brass or silver pot called a kalash is placed. The gudi is covered
with a colourful silk cloth and decorated with coconuts, marigolds
and mango leaves that symbolize nature's bounty. On Gudi Padwa,
you will find gudis hanging out of windows or otherwise prominently
displayed in traditional Maharashtrian households.
Some Maharashtrians see the gudis as a symbol of victory associated
with the conquests of the Maratha forces lead by the great hero
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Gudis are also displayed as they are
expected to ward off evil and invite prosperity and good luck into
the house.
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