Hindu New Year
India, being a vast country of immense heterogeneity, is
known far and wide for its enchanting diversity and
colorful splendor. It is made up of numerous regional
and cultural variations. Its dynamic resplendence is
exemplified best by the beauty of its vast cultural
richness. Even though there exists a unified official
calendar of the Hindus, known as the 'Indian National
Calendar', inter-regional variants make the country all
the more versatile. As a result, you can find different
religions and regions boasting of their own unique
rituals, colors, feasting and music. Even festivals are
celebrated at different times of the year and in
different ways according to the regional culture. This
is true with New Year as well. Though Hinduism is the
religion that is followed by the largest percentage of
people in India, even within the Hindu community New
Year is not celebrated at the same time of the year and
in the same fashion. New Year in India has different
names in different states and is also celebrated in very
different traditional ways. For instance, the Kashmiri
Hindus celebrate their new year 'Navreh' in mid-March
while the Sindhis also celebrate 'Cheti Chand' around
the same time.
In West Bengal, which is in the eastern part of India,
New Year is celebrated during spring. People decorate
their houses with colorful flowers that are pink, red,
purple and white in color. Women wear clothes that are
yellow in color. This color is symbolic of spring. In
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the south of India, New
Year is celebrated in the spring too. On New Year's Day,
it is customary for people to eat a small helping of a
salad made of neem leaves, jaggery, raw mangoes and
bananas. By eating this on New Year's Day, the person is
symbolically accepting all the bitter and sweet things
that are likely to come his way throughout the New Year.
In Kerala, in the southernmost part of India, on the
night before New Year's Day, mothers prepare a special
tray consisting of special food, fruits, flowers and
gifts. This tray is the first thing that one should see
on New Year's Day. So, as soon as the children are
awake, they are led with their eyes closed to the tray.
In central India, orange flags are hoisted from
buildings and homes on New Year's Day. In Gujarat, which
is in western India, New Year is celebrated in the end
of October, on the day that coincides with Diwali.
Diwali is an important Hindu festival, but in Gujarat it
is celebrated as New Year's Day as well. People light
little oil lamps on and around their houses to welcome
Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth on this day.
Thus, in India, the Hindu New Year is celebrated on
different days throughout the calendar year as a result
of vast cultural diversity.
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