Gudi Padwa

Gudi Padwa is a spring festival marking the start of the lunisolar new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus. It is celebrated in and around Maharashtra, Goa, and Daman 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 dhvaja, which is a sari or dhoti or other piece of cloth garlanded with flowers, mango, and neem leaves, and a sugar crystal garland called gathi, topped with upturned silver or copper vessels. The celebration also includes street gatherings, dancing, and festive foods.

In Maharashtra, the first day of the bright phase of the moon is called guḍhī pāḍwā (Marathi: गुढी पाडवा), pāḍvo (Konkani: पाडवो); pāḍya (Kannada: ಪಾಡ್ಯ); pāḍyami (Telugu: పాడ్యమి). 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 Yugādi/Ugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ), while Telugu Hindus celebrate the same occasion as Ugadi (ఉగాది). Sindhi people celebrate the day as Cheti Chand, and Kashmiri Pandits celebrate this day as Navreh.

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, also known as Bestu Varas. 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.