Celebrate Gudi Padwa in Style
Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar (March-April as per the Gregorian calendar). This auspicious festival marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. The holy month of Chaitra, which begins on Monday 31st ring the onset of Gudi Padwa. Gudi Padwa is considered as an auspicious occasion to buy jewellery, property, gifts and other festive essentials. It is regarded as a beginning of New Year by Maharashtrians, Konkaki and North Indian communities in India.
The Brahma Purana declares Gudi Padwa to be the time on which Lord Brahma created the world after the great deluge. 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.
A 'gudi' is a pole on top of which an upturned brass or silver 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 Maharashtrian’s 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. Across the country, the ritual of separating the wheat from its chaff on this day is followed and also keeping the wheat chaff in your house is considered as a sign of incoming prosperity. Gudi Padwa also marks the start of the harvest season.
On the festive day, people clean their houses and dress up in new clothes. Women work on intricate rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours mirroring the burst of colour associated with spring. It is a time for family gatherings and delicious specialities are cooked on this day. Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the festivities by eating the bittersweet leaves of the neem tree or a paste of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with jaggery.
Mark this holy occasion and step up your festive celebrations with Gudi Padwa gifts and worship essentials like fantastic torans, wallpapers, and images. Send personalized gifts to your loved ones. Fill your colour palettes with rangoli powder and adorn the threshold with pretty drawings on Padwa. Celebrate the auspicious festival of Gudi Padwa and welcome good luck, fortune and prosperity in your life.
