Gudi Padwa

Revision as of 19:18, 5 March 2014

Maharashtra

perhaps from Dawn? From

http://www.theholidayspot.com/gudi_padwa/gudi_padwa_rituals.htm

Gudi Padwa is the New Year's Day for the people of the Indian state Maharashtra. Celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month, Gudi Padwa falls sometime at the end of March and the beginning of April according to the Gregorian calendar. It is also the first day of Marathi Calendar. In the state of Andhra Pradesh the festival is celebrated as Ugadi, as Yugadi in Karnataka, as Poila Baisakh in West Bengal and as Bihu in Assam. The Konkanis and the Sindhis observe the occassion as Sanvsar Padvo and Cheti Chand respectively.

It is believed that Lord Brahma, created the world on this day and so he is worshipped especially at this time. Lord Vishnu too is said to have incarnated as Matsya, the fish, on this day. It is also believed that on this day, King Vali was killed by Rama and Shri Rama returned to Ayodhya victorious.The second Navratri (first being in Ashvin month) also starts from the Gudi Padwa day and endson Ramnavmi which falls on the ninth day of Chaitra month. This Navratri is therefore known as Spring Navratri or Ramnavratri.The Vasant or Spring Navratri is more famous in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand(Uttaranchal), Punjab, Haryana and other North Indian states.

In the places of its observance, Gudi Padwa signifies the beginning of Vasant or the spring season. Hence, spring cleaning is a tradition indispensable to the festival. On the festive day, people in villages rise early in the morning and take an extensive oil bath. Then they sweep clean the courtyards in their houses and plaster them with fresh cow-dung. Women and children draw beautiful rangoli designs to meticulous detail on their doorsteps. The strikingly colourful patterns capture the mood of the spring season and brighten up the festive ambience. People offer oblations to God, praying to Him for a prosperous new year.

According to the legends, Gudi prevents family members from various evil effects and bestow them with good luck, prosperity and success.

Hoisting of Gudi

The hoisting of the "Gudi" is the main ritual of the festival. The Gudi is a long bamboo pole to the tip of which is tied a bright green or yellow silk cloth adorned with brocade (zari). Over this is tied gathi (a type of sweet), neem leaves, coconuts, a twig of mango leaves and a garland of marigold flowers that signify a rich harvest.

On this is placed an empty, inverted jug of water (tambya), made of brass, copper or silver and held up to the sky. On the festive day, the people of Maharashtra follow a tradition of erecting gudis next to the right side of the main entrance of their houses or in the localities. Then, they draw intricate rangoli designs on the floor before it. Thereupon, everyone eagerly waits to usher in the new year. The flag has a symbolic significance. Scriptures mention that it was on a Gudi Padwa day that Lord Brahma created the universe. Hence, this flag is called ‘the flag of Brahma’ (Brahmadhvaj). Some also refer to it as ‘the flag of Indra’ (Indradhvaj). After the Gudi is set up, everyone worships it and performs a prayer in honour of Lord Brahma. Then, boys and young men of the locality climb atop each other forming a pyramidal structure. One person climbs this pyramid to break the coconut kept in the gudi.

On Gudi Padwa, the waves consisting of the fire element (Tej tatva) and the creative element (Prajapati element) are activated on a large scale. The divine consciousness emanating during sunrise, absorbed at that time lasts longer. This consciousness is stored in the body cells and used as required. Hence the Gudi should be worshipped within 5-10 minutes of the sunrise.

Gudi is a symbol of victory. Amongst the various qualities of God, 'Being Victorious' is one and it symbolizes that God has achieved victory at the outset and at various levels. To symbolize this at every level of war, a Gudi is hoisted.

Position of the Gudi

Care should be taken to raise the Gudi next to the main entrance of the house. The spot selected should be on the right side (when sighted from the house) of the entrance. The right side symbolizes active state of the soul.

1. The place for raising the Gudi should be cleaned and then a Swastik rangoli should be drawn on the ground. Turmeric and vermilion (Haldi-kumkum) should be offered at the center of the Swastik.

2. While raising the Gudi, the ‘Shiva-Shakti’ element in the Universe should be invoked. This enables all the constituents of the Gudi to accept divine elements. 3. The Gudi symbolizes the ‘Sushumna nadi’ of our body. Hence, the Gudi should be raised at the entrance. And it should be kept tilted at an angle.

Traditionally, Maharashtrian families prepare Shrikhand (flavored yoghurt) and Poori on this day. Many families make special dishes like Pooran poli or sweet roti and chana to celebrate this occassion. A unique custom related to the festival is eating the bittersweet leaves of the neem tree. Sometimes, a paste of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with ajwain, gul/gur (jaggery), and tamarind. People can either have the neem leaves or the paste of them. The consumption of the bittersweet neem leaves is supposed to begin the festivities and believed to purify the blood and strengthen the body’s immune system against diseases. In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this Ugadi festiival includes preparation of an elaborate sauce known as Ugadi Pachchadi which includes neem, jaggery, raw mango and tamarind juice.

It's Ugadi in Andhra and Karnataka

The Telugu and the Kannada New Year falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra (March-April). People in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states in the South of India believe that Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe on this auspicious day of Ugadi. People prepare for the new year by cleaning and washing their houses and buying new clothes. On the Ugadi day they decorate their houses with mango leaves and "rangoli" designs, and pray for a prosperous new year, and visit the temples to listen to the yearly calendar - "Panchangasravanam" as priests make predictions for the coming year. Ugadi is also an auspicious day to embark on any new endeavor.

Cheti Chand - the Sindhi Thanksgiving Day

The Sindhis celebrate Cheti Chand on their New Year day which coincides with Gudhi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Cheti Chand falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra, also called ‘Cheti’ in Sindhi. This day is observed as the birthday of Jhulelal, the patron saint of the Sindhis. On this day, Sindhis worship Varuna, the water god and observe a number of rituals followed by feasts and devotional music, such as bhajans and aartis.

Gudhipadwa, Akshay tritiya and Dasera (Vijayadashmi) each make up one, and the first day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik comprises half of the total three and a half auspicious days. The special feature of these three and a half auspicious days is that unlike other days when one has to choose an auspicious moment to perform a ritual, on these days one does not need to, as every moment of these days is auspicious. Gudi Padwa is one of the 3 and a half days in the Indian Lunar calendar called "Sade-Teen Muhurt", whose every moment is considered auspicious in general to start a new activity. That is why Gudi Padwa is considered a very auspicious day. New ventures are begun, house-warming poojas are performed, and people also may choose to buy gold, silver or property on this day.