FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Gudi Padwa: Happy New Year, Maharashtra

Devika Khosla

Last updated: Apr 3, 2017

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Like most other festivals and special days in India, Gudi Padwa too has a mythological genesis. According to the Brahma Purana, this is the day when Lord Brahma recreated the world and it is therefore celebrated as the New Year among Maharashtrians as well as Hindu Konkanis. For 2016, April 8th will be marked with prayers, feasts, family gathering, songs and celebrations.

But that is something everyone does. How about doing something different, to make your Gudi Padwa unique and memorable? Here are five ways to make your New Year celebrations a little different.

Dress it Up

The hustle bustle of daily life, office hours, traffic and deadlines leave very little room for personal indulgences and passions. Use this day to make a difference and show off the creative side in you. Take time out to get innovative with yourself and your house. Take out those lovely traditional clothes you haven’t had the chance to wear. Don a sari, add a gajra, wear some kajal and a special smile! Let your beauty blend into your house. Change the colour of the curtains, buy some cozy cushions, add a bunch of fresh flowers and make a stunning rangoli in bright, happy colours. If you’re feeling particularly energetic, show off all these changes to your friends with a New Year’s party at home.

Cook up a Storm

We don’t mean literally of course, but there’s no harm in a little indulgence once in a while. Since this is a traditional day, make traditional goodies that remind you of your childhood. Get going in the kitchen and roll out desserts like modaks, shrikhand, and pooran poli. If you want to truly surprise the family, try something different here too – phirni, jalebi, kheer, rabri, ladoos and halwa – all work just as well. What’s more, they will be a refreshing change from the readymade sweets and desserts you’re used to buying from the market.

new year maharashtra

Make it a Family Day

Different rooms, different pastimes and different choices – leave those things for the rest of the year. Make this Gudi Padwa count by sticking together with the family. Lay down the basic rule of spending the whole day together. No separate TV viewing or spending time in personal rooms. Plan to have all the day’s meals together or plan a family outing – a movie, a picnic or just a drive around the city. This could be your day of bonding!

Splurge a Little…

…or a lot, depending on your mood! There are bound to be lots of special offers for the occasion in the market. Perhaps this can be the day you can actually go on that shopping spree you have been planning and postponing. Go out alone, with friends, spouse or kids and just have a blast that makes a small hole in your pocket too. Buy clothes, shoes, bags, things for the house, for the kids, parents and each other. There is nothing like retail therapy to make you feel good about yourself and your day, so go ahead and loosen those purse strings.

new year maharashtra

Make a Resolution

After all, isn’t that what New Year’s about? Keep them or break them but resolve to do something different this year. Grow your hair or cut it short; give yourself a makeover; join music or dance classes; plan a holiday with friends or family; or simply decide to make a difference to someone’s life by being there for them. Make a resolution and then drink to it! Three cheers and a very happy New Year!

And for all those who would like to see how people in mega Maharashtrian cities like Mumbai and Pune celebrate Gudi Padwa, plan a trip today! You can book flights and hotels on MakeMyTrip.com.

Devika Khosla

Devika’s always going ‘somewhere’. Obsessive foodie, spa junkie, animal lover, mountain goat and global citizen. That’s her story.

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