Maharashtra People Celebrates Gudi Padwa with Fervor

As a string of harvest festivals began in Maharashtra, the weekend came a day earlier with people across the state celebrating Gudi Padwa (New Year's day) with enthusiasm.

Celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, people clean their houses and decorate the entrance with intricate rangoli designs, mango leaves and marigold flowers on Gudi Padwa. A gudi (banner) with a swastika-marked pot and silk cloth at prominent places in front of each house is also raised to mark the day.

Several families across Maharashtra brought in the newyear with traditional prayers around the gudi. As a part of the tradition, most families ate a paste of neem leaves prepared with jaggery and tamarind, believed to purify blood and strengthen the body's immune system. People dressed in their finest traditional clothes and women were seen draped in special nine yards sarees.