The Maharashtrian
New Year's Day is celebrated in March/April, on the first day of the
Hindu month - Chaitra and marks the beginning of spring or
"Vasant".
This vibrant
festival following the festival of colors - Holi - is as festive if
not more. It is a time for spring cleaning of homes - big and small
- making them sparkle from top to bottom to mark a new beginning.....a
beginning of SPRING and warmer days. Summer is just around the
corner, and the sun begins to show its true colors by going from
warm to hot. Crops have been harvested and fruits like mangoes,
guavas, jackfruit begin to flood the market place. Sunflowers bloom
and the nature bursts into color again.
This day is said to be the one on which Lord Brahma
created the world after deluge.
It is a day of great festivity and
rejoicing as it also commemorates the triumphant expeditions of the
Maratha armies of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the most
beloved leader of the Maharashtrians. It is a day when the brave Marathas
returned home from their
successful expeditions of war.
Gudi
Padwa is considered a very auspicious day. New ventures are begun,
house-warming poojas are performed, and people also choose to buy
gold, silver or property on this day.
New Year is
celebrated in different states of India under various names, for e.g.
Ugadi
in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Gudi
Padva in Maharashtra. The
Sindhis celebrate it as
Cheti chand. .
How to make a
Gudi?
Tie a bright
green or yellow cloth adorned with brocade (zari) to the tip of
a long bamboo. Add strings of a suggary sweet - made only in India -
called "Gathi", neem leaves, and a string
of mango leaves along with a garland of red flowers. Then
place a a silver or copper pot placed in the inverted position over
it. This is hoisted and placed in front of the house, on the right
side. Then draw beautiful "Rangoli" on the floor
in front of it.
Gudi means a
"banner" raised to announce victory and joy and
"Padva" is another name for "Pratipada" which is
the first day of a lunar month.
How to celebrate Gudi Padva?
People get up
early and clean their houses, decorating them with intricate rangoli
(colored rice flour designs for the floor) designs. This worship
to the "Gudi" is supposed to drive away evil from the house
and are expected to usher in prosperity and good fortune.
A brightly
colored silk cloth is first tied to a wooden pole with a brass or
silver goblet or kalash is placed upturned atop it. Then
garlands of sweet sugary battasa, neem leaves and orange
-yellow marigold flowers are tied to the pole. This is called the
"Gudi". The "Gudi" or decorated pole is placed
where it can be seen by passers by.
We are getting the gudi
ready.
This auspicious
day also marks the beginning of the consumption of summer foods like
melons, jack-fruit, mangoes , sprouted gram and more. A variety of sherbets such as Mango
Panha
and special sweets like Puran
Poli
are served. Traditional
Maharashtrians have the custom of eating a couple of bitter neem
leaves fried in ghee and mixed with sugar. They are eaten on Gudi
Padva to ensure good health. The neem paste is believed to purify the
blood and build up immunity in the body against diseases.
Gudi Padva is considered one of the auspicious days in the
year when people start new ventures.
Gudi
Padwa Recipes
Traditionally,
bittersweet leaves of the neem tree are eaten on this day. A paste of
crushed neem leaves, cumin seeds, jaggery and salt is taken before
eating any food in the morning.
In the southern
states, Puliogare-a sour tamarind rice dish, Bobbatlu, Holige- sweet
stuffed bread and Ugadi Pachadi made of jaggery, raw mango pieces,
neem flowers and tamarind is prepared. In
Maharastra, Shrikhand
-a fragrant yogurt dessert, with Poori-a fried puffy bread is
prepared.
