Gudi Padwa, also known as Ugadi, is a spring festival that marks the beginning of the New Year for for Marathi and Konkani Hindus and the people of Maharashtra, India.
It is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, which typically falls in March or April according to the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and is considered an optimistic time because it signifies the beginning of a new cycle of life, growth, and prosperity.
Families decorate their homes in vivid colours and wear bright clothing to show their optimism about the new year and what it may bring. People decorate their houses with colourful rangolis and flowers and prepare special dishes like puran poli and shrikhand to offer to their gods.
They also hoist a gudi, which is a decorated pole or bamboo stick with a colourful cloth, a garland of flowers, and an inverted silver or copper pot on top. The Gudi is believed to ward off evil and bring good luck and prosperity to the family.
Gudi Padwa is a time for new beginnings, positive energy, and hope for a bright future.