Festivals Of Spring

As the month of March nears its end, we prepare ourselves for the various regional new year celebrations across our diverse nation. India is extremely diverse culturally. Different regions have different traditions, follow different rituals and celebrate numerous festivals.

Although, the official calendar for the Hindus remains the same, the regional variants still prevail. As a result, India hosts a number of new year festivities that are unique to the particular regions. The southern Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh begin their new year - Ugadi. The Marathas celebrate their new year Gudi Padwa, and the Sindhis observe Cheti Chand, the coming of new year, during the same time. Usually, the Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Kashmiri and Sindhi New Year falls on the same day - the first day of the month of Chaitra, heralding the advent of spring.

The Telugu and the Kannada New Year falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra (March-April). It's a common belief amongst the people of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states that Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe on this auspicious day of Ugadi.

In Maharashtra, the new year is celebrated as Gudi Padwa - a festival that heralds the advent of spring (March-April). People hang "Gudis" on their windows on this day to celebrate Mother Nature's bounty. A "Gudi" is a decorated pole with a brass or a silver vessel placed on it. The Sindhis celebrate Cheti Chand on their New Year day which coincides with Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Sindhis worship Varuna, the water god and observe a number of rituals followed by feasts and devotional music, such as bhajans and aartis.