Gudi Padwa 2024: Here's how Maharashtra celebrates their new year

Representative Image/ PTI

Gudi Padwa, also known as Marathi New Year, is a traditional holiday celebrated with great excitement in the Indian state of Maharashtra. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, it marks the start of a new year, usually around March or April. This auspicious festival has immense cultural and religious significance for the people of Maharashtra, who celebrate it with a variety of ceremonies and traditions.

Ahead of Gudi Padwa 2024, let's take a look at how Maharashtra celebrates the traditional holiday.

The celebration of Gudi Padwa begins with the placement of a 'gudi' outside homes. A gudi is a bamboo or wooden pole covered with colourful cloth, garlands, and neem leaves, with a decorative pot or 'kalash' on top. The gudi represents prosperity, success, and the triumph of good over evil.

The habit of raising a gudi outside residences stretches back centuries and is based on mythology. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya on this day after conquering the demon king Ravana, ushering in a new period of righteousness and prosperity. Thus, the gudi is built as a symbol of Lord Rama's victory, and it is thought to bring blessings and good fortune to the home.

Families rise up early on Gudi Padwa to perform ceremonial prayers and offerings to the deities. They then hoist the gudi outside their dwellings, typically facing east or in the direction of the rising sun. Raising the gudi is accompanied by the recitation of prayers to invoke divine blessings for the new year ahead.

Apart from the gudi, Gudi Padwa is celebrated with a variety of customs and traditions. Women dress in traditional garb and adorn themselves with jewellery, while families gather to share holiday feasts and treats. Special foods like puran poli, shrikhand, and saakhar bhaat are cooked to commemorate the event.

One of the highlights of Gudi Padwa is the bright 'Shobha Yatra' procession, which takes place in numerous cities and towns throughout Maharashtra. Participants dressed in traditional garb parade through the streets, accompanied by music, dance, and performances that heighten the celebratory atmosphere.

Gudi Padwa is also significant in agriculture, as it signals the start of the harvest season in Maharashtra. Farmers believe it an ideal time to plant new crops and begin agricultural activities, seeking blessings for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

Overall, Gudi Padwa is a time of joy, renewal, and cultural pride for the people of Maharashtra.