CleanupBot at 06:58, 22 March 2026

2026-03-22T06:58:43Z

New page

{{Short description|Marathi and Konkani Hindu new year festival}}
{{See also|Indian New Year's days}}
{{For|other traditions of celebrating the lunar new year|Lunar New Year}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Cleanup lang|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox holiday
| type = Hindu
| image = A new year procession on Gudi Padwa festival, Dombivli Maharashtra.jpg
| caption = A Gudi Padwa new year festive procession in Dombivli, Maharashtra
| official_name = Gudhi Padwa
| nickname = Marathi New Year, Hindu New Year
| longtype = Religious (Hindu), social, cultural
| observedby = [[Marathi people|Marathi]] and [[Konkani people|Konkani]] [[Hindu]]s
| date = {{Hindu festival date}}
| celebrations = 1 day
| observances = People clean and decorate their houses with colourful rangolis and Gudis.
| significance = Marks the beginning of the Marathi New Year
| frequency = Annual
| relatedto = [[Ugadi]], [[Cheti Chand]], [[Nyepi]]
| date2023 =
| holiday_name =
}}
{{Hindu festival date info}}
{{Hinduism}}

'''Gudhi Padwa''' is a spring festival marking the start of the [[lunisolar]] new year for [[Marathi people|Marathi]] and [[Konkani people|Konkani]] Hindus.<ref name="Dalal2010p150">{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC|year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|page=150}}</ref> It is celebrated in and around [[Maharashtra]], [[Goa]], and [[Daman district, India|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.<ref name="Dalal2010p150"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/maharashtra/festival/gudi-padwa |title=Gudi Padwa, Government of Maharashtra |website=maharashtratourism.gov.in |access-date=1 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141935/https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/maharashtra/festival/gudi-padwa|archive-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>

In Maharashtra, the first day of the bright phase of the moon is called ''guḍhī pāḍwā'' ({{langx|mr|गुढी पाडवा}}), ''pāḍvo'' ({{langx|knn|पाडवो}}); ''pāḍya'' ({{langx|kn|ಪಾಡ್ಯ}}); ''pāḍyami'' ([[Telugu language|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.<ref name="PechilisRaj2013p48"/> 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]].<ref name="PechilisRaj2013p48">{{cite book|author1=Karen Pechilis| author2=Selva J. Raj|title= South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kaubzRxh-U0C&pg=PA48| year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-44851-2|pages=48–49}}</ref>

==Etymology==
''Gudi'' means 'flag'; according to Kittel, the term is of South Indian origin.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gowda|first1=Deve|last2=Gowda|first2=Javare|title=Village Names of Mysore District: An Analytical Study|year=1998|isbn=81-206-1390-2|page=55|publisher=Asian Educational Services |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sU5A5SG9GWcC&q=gudi&pg=PA55|access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref> The word ''pāḍavā'' is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''pratipad'' for the first day of each fortnight in a lunar month, or the first day on which the moon appears after the "new moon" day (''[[Amavasya|amāvāsya]]''), and the first day after the full moon. A ''Gudi'' is also hoisted on this occasion, gives this festival its name. The term ''padva'' or ''padavo'' is also associated with [[Balipratipada]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=15 November 2020|title=Balipratipada: Bali Puja 2020 date: Bali Pratipada story and significance|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/rituals-puja/bali-puja-2020-date-bali-pratipada-story-and-significance/articleshow/79167061.cms|access-date=13 April 2021|work=The Times of India}}</ref>

== Significance ==
Gudi Padva signifies the arrival of spring and the reaping of rabi crops.<ref name="gudipadwasignificance">{{cite web |url=http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/festivals/gudhipadwa/significance.php |title=Significance of Gudi Padwa |publisher=Hindu Jagriti Samiti |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414224831/http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/festivals/gudhipadwa/significance.php |archive-date=14 April 2013 }}</ref> The festival is linked to the day on which the Hindu god [[Brahma]] created time and the universe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gudi Padwa 2021: Date, Time, History, Celebration, Significance|url=https://news.jagatgururampalji.org/gudi-padwa-festival/|access-date=13 April 2021|website=S A NEWS|date=12 April 2021}}</ref> To some, it commemorates the coronation of Rama in Ayodhya, after his victory over Ravana, or the start of the [[Shalivahana|Shalivahan]] calendar, after he defeated the Huns in the first century.<ref>[https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/maharashtra/festival/gudi-padwa Gudi Padva], government of Maharashtra Tourism Office</ref> According to [[Anne Feldhaus]], in rural Maharashtra, the festival is linked to Shiva's dance and the coming together of the community as they carry the ''Gudhi Kavads'' together to a Shiva temple.<ref>{{cite book|author=Anne Feldhaus|title=Connected Places: Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GsaADAAAQBAJ |year=2003|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-8134-9|pages=48–57, 72–83}}</ref>

== The guḍhī ==
[[File:Gudipadwagudi.jpg|thumb|Raising gudi is main ritual of Gudi Padwa]]

During Gudi Padwa, ''gudi'' (or ''gudhi'') are arranged at every household. It is a bright, colourful silk scarf-like cloth tied at the top of a long bamboo. On top of it, one or more boughs of [[neem]] and mango leaves are attached with a garland of flowers. It is capped with a silver, bronze, or copper pot (''handi'' or ''kalash''), signifying victory or achievement.<ref name=crump114>{{cite book|author=William D. Crump|title=Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDTfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 |year=2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-9545-0|page=114}}</ref><ref name=feldhaus48/>

Some temples are located on the top of hills, and groups work together to help reach the ''kavad'' to the top.<ref name=feldhaus48>{{cite book|author=Anne Feldhaus|title=Connected Places: Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GsaADAAAQBAJ |year=2003|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-8134-9|pages=48–57}}</ref>

Some of the significances attributed to raising a ''gudi'' are as follows:<ref name="gudipadwasignificance" />

*It symbolises the victory of King [[Shalivahana]] and was hoisted by his people when he returned to [[Paithan]].
*It symbolises Brahma's flag mentioned in the [[Brahma Purana]], and may also represent Indra's flag.
*It is believed to ward off evil, invite prosperity and good luck into the house.

==Festivities==
[[File:Rangoli of Lights.jpg|thumb|Rangoli made on Gudi Padwa]]

Traditionally, families prepare a special dish that mixes various flavours, particularly the bitter leaves of the [[neem]] tree and sweet jaggery (''gud, gul''). Additional ingredients include sour tamarind and astringent coriander seeds. This, like the pacchadi recipe used in [[Ugadi]] festival, is eaten as a reminder of life's sweet and bitter experience and a belief that the neem-based mixture has health benefits.<ref name=crump114/><ref>{{cite book|author=Ernest Small|title=Top 100 Exotic Food Plants|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA411|year=2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-5688-8|page=411}}</ref>

==Other names==
The festival is also known as<ref name="gudipadwasignificance" />
*''[[Cheti Chand]]'' among the [[Sindhi people]]
*''[[Navreh]]'' among the [[Kashmiri Pandits]] in [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
*''Samvatsar Padvo'' among Hindu [[Konkani people|Konkani]]s of [[Goa]] and [[Konkani language|Konkani]] diaspora in [[Kerala]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Gajrani|first= S.|title=History, Religion and Culture of India|volume=3|pages=108}}</ref>
*''[[Ugadi]]'' among the south-Indian states of [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]

==See also==
*[[Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar]]
*[[Hindu units of measurement]]
*[[Panchanga]]
*[[Shaka era]]
*[[Vikram Samvat]]
*[[Nyepi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/articles/gudi-padwa Meaning of Gudi and Date and time for 2020] Rudra Centre

{{HinduFestivals}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{New Year by Calendar}}

[[Category:Hindu festivals]]
[[Category:New Year celebrations]]
[[Category:New Year in India]]
[[Category:Culture of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Festivals in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:March observances]]
[[Category:April observances]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in India]]
[[Category:Religious festivals in India]]
[[Category:Festivals in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Culture of Andhra Pradesh]]

Gudi Padwa - Revision history

CleanupBot at 06:58, 22 March 2026