It's Gudi Padva, Ugadi, Cheti Chand....

Perched high on a long bamboo stick, with a shining inverted copper pot decorated with a ‘swastik’ in vermilion, adorned with garlands of ‘gaathi’ (sugar crystals), mango and ‘neem’ leaves, silk cloth, the modest ‘gudi’ will herald the beginning of the Hindu New Year on Tuesday. The auspicious day of ‘Gudi Padwa’ gives much reason for families to come together and celebrate. People, young and old, set up the ‘gudi’ before sunrise, symbolising the beginning of the Hindu New Year,” says Dhruv Apte, a student, who makes it a point to attend the rituals related to ‘Gudi Padwa.’ “My family puts up the ‘gudi’ before sunrise. A prayer and ‘prasad’ follow. A feast of ‘shrikhand’ and ‘puri’ mark the gastronomic delights. Finally, the ‘gudi’ is taken off before sunset,” says Dhruv. Celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, among other states, ‘Gudi Padwa’ also marks the end of one harvest season and the beginning of a new one. It’s a common sight to see people buying sweets, ‘gudis’ and other paraphernalia to deck up their homes for the big day. And out come powdered colours to decorate the doorsteps with beautiful ‘rangoli’. “There’s no hard-and-fast rule related to ‘Gudi Padwa’ that my family follows. We get ‘neem’ and mango leaves from our neighbours. Each year, we hang a new saree my mother buys for the occasion. We also invest in some fixed asset every year, on this special day,” says Amruta Patwardhan, a resident of Kothrud. The ‘neem’ tree holds special importance because of its myriad medicinal properties. “It’s often advised to plant a ‘neem’ tree in one’s garden, as it a very good disinfectant and drives away pests,” says a resident of Sadashiv Peth. What Gudi Means
The long stick: Inspires you to think big, aim for the best
Silk cloth: Uphold values, keep reputation clean
Gathi: Talk sweet without ego hassles
Neem twig: Blend sweetness in speech with apt tartness
Flowers: Spread the essence of your integrity
Inverted vessel: Think wise, think logically

Nisha Chilaka remembers tying mango leaves and putting them up as well as making jaggery from sugarcane for Ugadi. “I grew up in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, and since both Marathi new year, Gudi Padwa, and Telugu new year, Ugadi, fall on the same day we celebrated both at home,” says the senior manager with Kailash Shipping Services. Today, after years of living in Chennai, Ugadi is no longer a melange of cultures. “I just go to the supermarket and buy the jaggery and other ingredients off the shelf,” she says. Though they may be away from home, Telugus and Kannadigas make sure they follow the customs, whether its greeting each other in a particular way or making traditional dishes. Both Telugus and Kannadigas prepare a sweet and sour mixture — bevu bella in Kannada and pachhadi in Telugu — which is the first thing they eat. “We greet each other, wishing that we only speak and act well during the rest of the year, and then eat the bevu bella made of neem and jaggery,” says Shubha Anand, a teacher from Mysore. The Telugu pachhadi is more elaborate, with neem flowers, jaggery, raw mango, banana, tamarind, salt and green chilli. “These different tastes signify the various emotions we will experience in the coming year,” says Jansirani, a housewife, who grew up in Vijayawada and has been living in Chennai for 33 years. This is followed by a huge lunch — for Kannadigas it includes a masala rice made with raw mango called mavinkaya chitranna, while Telugus have pulihora (tamarind rice), bobatlu (sweet poli), gaarul (jaggery vada) and attukulu payasam (rice flakes payasam). The panchagam or horoscope for the new year is read after the pooja and lunch. “This gives the forecast for the zodiac signs and the entire country,” says Nirmala Suri, who lives in Hyderabad but is in Chennai for Ugadi. “It’s a family festival but a really jolly one,” says Jansirani.

Cheti Chand or Chetti Chand is the Sindhi New Year Day celebrated on the second day of Cheti month (Chaitra month). Cheti Chand 2010 date is March 16, 2010. In 2010. This festival is similar to other Hindu New Year festivals like Ugadi (Telugu New Year and Kannada New Year) celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and Gudi Padwa (Marathi New Year) celebrated in Maharashtra. Cheti Chand is celebrated as a commemoration of birthday of Sindhi patron saint Jhulelal. On Cheti Chand Sindhi people celebrate their special rituals with utmost pomp and gaiety. Sindhi devotees carry Jhulelal devta to nearby lake or river along with Baharana Sahib (consists of Jyot, Mishri, Phota, Fruits, and Akha). On Cheti Chand day, when you want to wish a Sindhi a Happy New Year, then say ‘Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav’, which means lacs of wishes for Cheti Chand.When he wants to reply, he says ‘Tohan khe bhi Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav’, which means I wish you the same.