Gudi Padwa 2027 — Wednesday, 7 April 2027

Gudi Padwa marks the start of the new year in the lunar calendar followed in Maharashtra, Goa and much of the Deccan. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first tithi of the bright half of Chaitra, which in amanta calendars is the very first day of the year. Padwa is the Marathi form of pratipada, the first lunar day, and the gudi is the decorated pole that gives the festival its name.

The gudi is a tall bamboo staff with a bright silk cloth, often yellow or green, tied at the top, a garland of flowers, sprigs of neem and mango leaves, a garland of sugar crystals, and an upturned copper, brass or silver pot crowning it all. It is raised at the doorway, a window or on the terrace, usually on the right side as one faces out, after the morning bath and puja, and taken down before sunset. It is described in many ways, as a flag of victory, a sign of prosperity and a welcome to the new year.

Several traditions are linked with the day. Many texts and almanacs hold that Brahma began the creation of the world on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, which is why the new year is counted from it. The Shalivahana Shaka era, still used in the Indian national calendar and in many almanacs, is reckoned from a king whose victory tradition places at this time of year. In Maharashtra some also connect the gudi with Rama’s return to Ayodhya, and others with the victory flags of the Maratha armies. These are traditions rather than settled history, and they add layers of meaning to the day.

The day begins with an oil bath, and the first thing eaten is a paste of neem leaves or flowers with jaggery, sometimes with tamarind, cumin and salt. The bitterness and sweetness together are read as a reminder that the year will bring both, and that both are to be taken calmly. The rest of the day is for new clothes, a festive meal, often with shrikhand and puri or puran poli, visits to the temple and, in many cities, shobha yatras through the streets.