Welcoming Gudi Padwa with savouries, colourful processions
Installation of ‘gudis’ and the preparation of puran polis are the traditional practices marking the Marathi new year
The city is enthusiastically welcoming Gudi Padwa, the Marathi new year, today (Tuesday). The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month. While Gudi means a flag carrying the emblem of Lord Brahma, Padwa refers to the first day of the phase of the moon. On the auspicious day, every celebrating house installs 'gudis' which is basically wooden staff draped in a coloured cloth. It is then decorated with garlands of candy wafers called 'gathis' or 'battashas' and topped with an upturned pot made of metal, mostly copper or silver.
It is believed that on this day, Lord Brahma created the universe and divided time into days, months and years. Another historical folklore is that this is the day when residents of Paithan, then called Pratishthana, hoisted flags to welcome their king Shalivahana when he marched into the city after defeating Vikramaditya in 78 AD. To mark the victory, the king announced the beginning of a
new calendar called 'Shalivahana Shakha'.
The festival is not centered on a deity, but is celebrated as the Hindu new year, explained Parag Limaye of Janseva Samiti, a cultural group from Vile Parle. “The gudi, which is raised in every house, is erected to welcome the new year,” Limaye added. Apart from the symbolic colourful 'gudis', there are ritual
baths, a bitter-sweet prasad made with neem and jaggery and special foods like puran polis. Another highlight are ‘Nav Varsha Swagat Yatras’ or ‘Shobha Yatras’ organised in predominantly Maharashtrian localities like Girgaum, Vile Parle and Dadar. These processions feature participants dressed in Maharashtrian attire dancing to traditional tunes.