Indian New Year's days

There are numerous types of Indian New Year's days celebrated in various regions at various times of the year.

Calendar View

Holi

Holi is celebrated as New Year's Day in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. It is celebrated on the last day of the Hindu month Phalguna which marks the end of winter and start of spring and next day i.e., on the first day of month Chaitra new year begins. This day is also called as day of the colours.

Ugadi

Ugadi and Gudi padwa is celebrated as New Year's Day in mid-southern states of India Karnataka, Maharashtra and Konkan, Andhra pradesh, and Telangana . The name Ugadi is derived from the name "Yuga Adi", which means 'the beginning of a new age'.^[1] It is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month Chaitra, which marks the onset of spring. It is believed that Lord Brahma, the creator according to Hindu tradition, began creation on this day.^[2] Preparations begin well ahead of the festival. Houses are given a thorough cleaning, people don new clothes and special dishes are prepared, with six flavors.

Rongali Bihu

Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu (mid-April), is celebrated as the Assamese New Year (around 14–15 April) and the arrival of Spring. This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar. The first day of the bihu <last day of the previous year> is called goru bihu or cow bihu, where the cows are washed,smeared with ground turmeric, patted with dighalati/makhiyati, worshipped and gets new ropes. This is followed by manuh (human in Assamese) bihu on 15 April,which is the Assamese New Year Day. People welcomes the spring with cleaned home, neighbourhood and dresses. The third day is Gosai (Gods) bihu when people worship statues of God, all households are cleaned and worshiped hoping for a prosperous and happy new year.

Gudhi Padwa

Gudhi Padwa and Ugadi is celebrated as New Year's Day in mid-southern states Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Konkan. It is celebrated on the same day as Ugadi i.e., the first day of the month Chaitra. Courtyards of rural houses are cleaned and plastered with fresh cowdung. Designs called Rangolis are drawn on doorsteps. People wear new clothes and special dishes are prepared. Lord Brahma is worshiped on this day and the gudhi, Brahma's flag (also called Brahmadhvaj), is hoisted in every house as a symbolic representation of Rama's victory over Vali. Gudhi means flag and Padwa means hoisting in Marathi. So it literally means flag hoisting or to be specific Hoisting of (Brahma's) Flag.

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. Women draw patterns called kolams. A lamp called a kuttuvilaku is placed on the center of the kolam, to eradicate darkness. A ritual called kanni takes place. Kanni means 'auspicious sight'. People watch jewellery, fruits, vegetables, flowers, nuts, rice etc., as it is a belief among Tamil people that it brings prosperity. People wear new clothes and special dishes are prepared for the occasion. A car festival is held at Tiruvadamarudur, near Kumbakonam.

Vishu

Contrary to popular belief, Vishu (Malayalam: വിഷു) is celebrated as Malayalam New Year's Day in Kerala. Vishu falls on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam (mid-April on the Gregorian calendar). The Malayalam New Year in Malabar used to be the 1st of Kanni (Bhadrapada–Asvina) and that in the Travancore region was on the 1st of Chingam (Shraavan-Bhadrapad). When the Government of Kerala adopted Kolla Varsham as the Regional Calendar the 1st of Chingam was accepted as the Malayalam New Year. Medom (Chaitra-Vaishakh) is the first month according to the astronomical calendar; it is identical with Chaitra of the Saka(Hindi) Calendar and Medom 1st (onnu) is celebrated as Medaponnu, also called as Vishu.

Sajibu Nongma Panba/Cheiraoba

Cheiraoba is celebrated as New Year's Day in Manipur. Sajibu Cheiraoba is an annual religious celebration in which certain rites and rituals are observed with a traditional devotion. The celebration marks the parting of the old year while welcoming the new year. The name 'Cheiraoba' is a combination of two words which have two different meanings – 'Chahi' (year) and 'laoba' (declaration). So, overall 'Cheirao-ba' means the announcement of the coming year.

Cheiraoba falls on the same day as Ugadi or Gudi Padwa.

Navreh

Navreh is the lunar new year which is celebrated 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. The celebrated Arab scholar Alberuni has written that Kashmiris celebrate the second of Navaratras to commemorate victory of their greatest and famous king – Lalitaditya – with great festivity and pomp. Navreh falls on the same day as Ugadi or Cheiraoba or Gudi Padwa.

Maha vishuva Sankranti

Mahavishuva Sankranti, is celebrated as the Odia New Year. On this day, religious people offer delicious Pana – a sweet drink made of different types of fruits, water, milk, bela, curd and sugar or jaggery – to the Tulsi Plant, Lord Shiva and Shalagram and their deities in various Temples of the state. People also drink Pana with great enjoyment. During the festival you will find water pots placed on the roadsides to help the thirsty souls. Water is as also offered to animals and birds with equal enthusiasm. This Sankraniti is also known as Pana Sankranit to Jala Sankranti.

This day is also a celebration of Hanuman Jayanti. Mahabishuda Sankranti is also significant for Jhamu Yatra and this month-long festival comes to an end. Patuas (those who observe it) keep fast and wander to various places to preach the religious significance the festival of the Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Goddess Mangala. On the concluding day, these Patuas discipline their senses for more penance and walk on fire and thorns to concentrate on spirituality for the dignity and propriety of life.

Mahabishuba Sankranti generally falls on 13 or 14 April. It is possible that it is celebrated on same day as Puthandu in Tamil Nadu.

Saal Mubarak

Saal Mubarak or Bestu Varas is celebrated as the New Year's Day for Gujaratis and falls on the day after Diwali. Traditional Gujaratis follow Vikram Samwat or Bikram Samwat. According to Hindu calendar systems, the Vikram calendar begins with the month of Baishakh/Chaitra (April), or Kartik (October/November) in Gujarat.

Bestu Varas generally falls in month of October or November. On this day, people greet each other "Nutan Varshabhinandan" (નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન), i.e. Happy New Year, or "Saal Mubaarak", an Urdu saying but commonly used by Gujarati people. The day starts with the heavy fire works, to welcome New Year, in the early morning as Hindus believe morning starts at 4 am. The local young boys sell raw salt (collected from Salt evaporation pond) calling it "sabras" means all taste, to make the locals' new year prosperous. Houses are decorated with torans (door hangings) made from leaves of the asopalav tree or mango tree and marigold flowers and make rangoli near the entrance to the house. The people get dressed with new clothes and visit their friends and family to greet them. Home made snacks, "Farsaan" (ફરસાણ) and sweets are offered to the guests and neighbor who come to wish the new year.

Thapna

Thapna is a New Year as per Marwari calendar (Marwari Miti). Starting with 1st day of Chaitra Shudh. On 23 March 2012 Rajasthani new year of 2069 will start.In Rajasthani language people greet each other by saying "Nava baras ri badhaiyan".On this day people do homas(Yajna).

Cheti Chand

Cheti Chand is celebrated as New Year's Day by Sindhis, According to the Hindu calendar, Cheti Chand is celebrated on the second day of the Chaitra month known as Chet in Sindhi. Hence it is known as CHET-I-CHAND.

It is the second day of month chaitra i.e. a day after Ugadi and Gudi Padi.

Chaitti and Basoa/Bishu

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 which according to the Bikram Samwat is the first day of year. The first day of this month (Chaitra Sankranti or Solar New Year) 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. Three days before the festival, people make little cakes with Kodra (a coarse grain) flour and wrap them up in leaves. After three days the cakes ferment, then on the morning of the festival day people invite the married daughters and other relatives and break and eat these cakes with honey and sweet water flavoured with jaggery. A ritual song is sung on this occasion.

Baisakhi

Baisakhi Festival, also called Vaisakhi, holds great importance for the Punjabi community and farmers of Punjab and Haryana. Baisakhi falls on 13 or 14 April, the first day of the second month of the year according to the Nanakshahi Calendar. Sikhs also celebrate this day in honor of their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, when he eliminated caste differences and founded Khalsa Panth in 1699, at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. The Sikh New Year as per the Sikh Nanakshahi Calendar falls on 14 March every year, with the beginning of Chet; and is marked with revered celebrations throughout the Sikh community.

Poila Boishakh

Poila Boishakh (Bengali: পহেলা বৈশাখ, or Bengali New Year Bengali: বাংলা নববর্ষ, Bangla Nôbobôrsho), is the first day of the Bengali calendar, celebrated on 14 April in the Bangladesh and 15 April in the Indian state of West Bengal by the Bengali people and also by minor Bengali communities in other Indian states, including Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand and Orrisa. It coincides with the New Year's days of numerous other calendars like Tamil new year Puthandu. The traditional greeting for Bengali New Year is শুভ নববর্ষ "Shubhô Nôbobôrsho" which is literally "Good (or auspicious) New Year".

Jude-Sheetal

Jude-Sheetal (জুড়ি শীতল / जुड़ि शीतल) also known as Pahil Baisakh or Baisakhi or Maithili New Year is the celebration of the first day of the Maithili new year. This day usually falls on 6 April on Gregorian calendar by the Maithils in Mithila region of India and Nepal. This is also called Nirayana Mesh Sankranti or Tirhuta new year in some regions of Mithila.[1] The festive occasion is in keeping with the Hindu solar calendar. This day falls on the 13–14th or 14–15 April and coincides with the new years of other eastern states of India. Sweets and greetings are exchanged. This day is also called Hanumant Dhwajadanam, the day Hanuman's flag (and hence Mithila's flag) is to be flown. It is also the birthday of Raja Shailesh (Shailesh was the king of Himalayas region of Mithila who won area up to Tibet) whose garden is at the Mahisautha in Siraha district headquarters of Nepal.

See also

• Hindu units of time
• Hindu calendar
• Indian national calendar
• Diwali in Gujarat

References

• Bihu Festival
• Ugadi at tajonline.com
• Puthandu at baisakhifestival.com
• Cheiraoba
• Navreh – The new year day in Kashmir
• Chaitti and Basoa

Festivals in the Hindu calendar
Major festivals	Chhath Diwali Ganesh Chaturthi Vasant Panchami Holi Galungan (Bali) Krishna Janmashtami Maha Shivaratri Makar Sankranti Nyepi (Bali) Navratri Ayudha Puja Durga Puja Vijayadashami Onam Pongal Rama Navami Thaipusam Vat Purnima Mesha Sankranti Bhratri Dwitiya Dhanteras Ratha yatra Dashahara Ananta Chaturdashi Guru Purnima Buddha Jayanti Hanuman Jayanti
Regional New Year	Bihu (Assamese) Cheti Chand (Sindhi) Gudi Padwa (Marathi, Konkani) Nyepi (Bali) Pana Sankranti (Oriya) Pohela Boishakh (Bengali) Puthandu (Tamil) Ugadi (Telugu, Kannada) Vaisakhi (Punjabi) Vishu (Malayali)
Holy days	Akshaya Tritiya Amalaka Ekadashi Vaikuntha Ekadashi Kamada Ekadashi Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Shayani Ekadashi Pausha Putrada Ekadashi Varuthini Ekadashi Prabodhini Ekadashi Ekadashi Gowri Habba Karva Chauth Mahalakshmi Vrata Nirjala Ekadashi Raksha Bandhan Sankranti Nag Panchami Savitri Brata Amavasya Madhu Purnima Sharad Purnima Kartik Purnima Dattatreya Jayanti Pradosha
Holy periods	Chaturmas Dhanurmas Pitru Paksha Devi Paksha Uttarayana Dakshinayana
Hindu festivals