India?s Traditional New Year Festivals

India’s Traditional New Year Festivals
 

News: Recently, The Vice President greeted fellow citizens on the eve of Ugadi, Gudi Padava, Chaitra Sukladi, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba.
 

Background
 Known by different names in different parts of India, these festivals mark the beginning of our traditional New Year and usher in the same with a spirit of joy and togetherness across the country. These festivals, unique in form but one in essence, are yet another testament to the richness of our composite culture.
 

What are the festivals?
 

Gudi Padva and Ugadi
 These festivals are celebrated by the people in the Deccan region including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
 A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in the South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.
 Gudi is a doll prepared in Maharashtrian homes.
 For Ugadi, doors in homes are adorned with mango leaf decorations called toranalu or Torana in Kannada.

Chaitra Sukladi
 It marks the beginning of the new year of the Vikram Samvat also known as the Vedic [Hindu] calendar.
 Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas, invaded Ujjain and called for a new era.
 It is the first day during the waxing phase (in which the visible side of moon is getting bigger every night) of the moon in the Chaitra (first month of Hindu calendar).
 

Cheti Chand
 Cheti Chand is the new year festival of the Sindhi community. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jhulelal, the patron saint of the Sindhi community.

Navreh
 Navreh is the Kashmiri New Year's Day. The day is marked by performing various rituals, decorating houses with flowers, preparing traditional dishes, and offering prayers to the deities.
 

Sajibu Cheiraoba:
 It is considered one of the most important festivals of Manipur. It is celebrated with great pomp and joy, especially by the Meitei of the state.