Midnight of 31st December… The countdown starts in big cities of the world, fireworks color the sky and people celebrate 1st January i.e. New Year. Even in India, people party heavily on this day. But do you know that in reality January 1 is not a new year for Indians.
Read now on WhatsApp also, click to subscribe
Not only this, different festivals are celebrated on New Year in every state. From Punjab to Maharashtra, a different tradition of New Year is being followed. Let us know why this is so.
India’s unique calendar
For centuries, New Year has been celebrated in India on the basis of moon, sun and seasons. Here the calculation of time has been linked to the greenery of the fields, harvesting of crops and religious traditions. This is the reason why New Year is not celebrated on 1 January in India.
Kerala
New Year is celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in mid-April on 14/15 April. New Year is called Vishu in Kerala. ‘Kani’ thali is specially prepared on this day. Grains, fruits, flowers, sweets and other symbolic items are kept in this plate. Seeing this, people believe that the coming year will be full of prosperity and happiness. People wake up early in the morning and watch ‘Kani’ and start the day with this.
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, 14/15 April is considered the beginning of the new year. Puthandu festival is celebrated on this day. Where houses are cleaned from the eve and the courtyard is decorated with colorful Kolams. Kolam is considered a symbol of bringing positive energy into the house and keeping away evil. Apart from this, houses are decorated with flowers, which makes the atmosphere of the festival even more colorful and happy.
When is New Year celebrated in Punjab?
The festival of Baisakhi is celebrated in Punjab. The new year begins from this day itself. Baisakhi usually falls on 13th or 14th April. It is not only a harvest festival, but also a celebration of faith and identity.
different names of new year
In many states of South and West India, the New Year comes with the arrival of spring. Ugadi is called New Year in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, while Gudi Padwa is called New Year in Maharashtra.
Comments are closed.