New Year festivals in India
Different regions follow different cultures and so the New Year traditions also vary. Every Indian state has its own history behind the New Year celebrations. People in various parts of the country celebrate New Year as per their traditional calendar.
Ugadi
Ugadi is celebrated as New Year’s Day in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh. The name Ugadi is derived from the name “Yuga Adi”, which means ‘the beginning of a new age’.It is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month Chaitra, which marks the onset of spring.
Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa is celebrated as New Year’s Day in Maharashtra. It is celebrated on the same day as Ugadi i.e., the first day of the month Chaitra. Lord Brahma is worshipped on this day and the gudi, Brahma’s flag (also called Brahmadhvaj), is hoisted in every house as a symbolic representation of Rama’s victory over Ravana.
Puthandu
Puthandu, also known as Varuda pirappu, is celebrated as New Year’s Day in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, which falls on 14 April.
Vishu
Vishu is celebrated as New Year’s Day in Kerala. It is celebrated on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam (mid-April on the Gregorian calendar). Offerings to the divine called Vishukanni are neatly arranged on the eve of the festival and consist of rice, linen, cucumber, betel leaves, holy texts, coins and yellow flowers called konna (Cassia fistula). It is considered auspicious to see the Vishukanni first thing in the morning.
On this day, people read the Ramayana and go to temples, Hindu places of worship. Children burst crackers, people wear new clothes and prepare special dishes and the elders of the house give out money to the children, servants and tenants. The money given is called Vishukaineetam.
Navreh
Navreh is the lunar New Year celebration in Kashmir. This coincides with the first day of the Chaitra (spring) Navratras. This day finds mention in Rajtarangini and Nilamat Purana of Kashmir and is regarded as sacred in Kashmir as the Shivratri. Navreh falls on the same day as Ugadi or Cheiraoba or Gudi Padwa.
Mahavishuva Sankranti
Mahavishuva Sankranti is celebrated as the Odiya New Year. On this day, religious people offer delicious Pana, a sweet drink, to their deities.
Bestu Varas
Bestu Varas is the New Year’s Day for Gujaratis and this falls on the day next to Diwali. On this day, people greet each other on this day with “Nutan Varsha Abhinandan”.
Chaitti and Basoa
The festivals of Chaitti and Basoa are celebrated as New Year festivals in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Chaitti is celebrated on the first day of month of Chaitra. The first day of this month is considered very important and is celebrated all over the state.
The festival of Basoa, also known as Bishu, is celebrated on the first day of the month of Baisakh. The aboriginal and the farming folk celebrate the Basoa festival.
Baisakhi
Baisakhi falls on 13 or 14 April, the first day of the second month of the year according to the Nanakshahi Calendar.
Nowruz
Nowruz is the name of the Iranian/Persian New Year in Iranian calendars. Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself. It is celebrated on 21 March every year, a date originally determined by astronomical calculations.
Nowruz is associated with various local traditions, such as the evocation of Jamshid, a mythological king of Iran, and numerous tales and legends. It is included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
