Talk about India, from India with you

Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening my friends, wherever you are! This is 8:00pm. 15^th April, 2015, Wednesday in India. After a long time I am able to blog; actually, I’m little busy with my cooking blog “From the Kitchen of an Indian Homemaker” and trying to manage some more time for this one! Hope I will blog regularly here very soon! 

I have planned to blog here before long; because, today is the first day of Bengali New Year 1422; a fresh year starts today! And how can I forget my first blog and lovely readers on this special day?! We, Bengalis are so emotional; we celebrate all the occasions and moments that connected with our lives! Actually, I think, may be all Indians are so emotional; and that’s why; we have so many festivals and occasions to celebrate, at least 2 times in a month!! In others countries, there are one New Year for all to celebrate but; you know, we have many New Years! Don’t you believe that? But, it’s true! In India, every one or two states have their own calendar and New Year and generally, they all are fallen around in April! I explain:

1)Ugadi is celebrated as New Year's Day in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh and Gudi Padwa is celebrated as New Year's Day in Maharashtra on the same day which corresponds to end of March or beginning of April according to the Gregorian calendar. 

Ugadi Pachadi

Ugadi Pachadi is a special preparation prepared in every Andhra home on Telugu New Year

2) Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu (mid-April), is celebrated as the Assamese New Year and the arrival of spring around April 14-15. 

3) Puthandu, also known as Varuda pirappu, is celebrated as New Year's Day in Tamil Nadu, is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, which falls on 14 April. 

4) Vishu is celebrated as New Year's Day in Kerala; is celebrated on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam which is mid-April on the Gregorian calendar.The most important event of the festival is “Vishukkani” means The first object viewed in the morning. It is one of the most popular traditional celebration festival followed by people of Kerala.

5) Cheiraoba is celebrated as New Year's Day in Manipur; falls on the same day as Ugadi or Gudi Padwa. 

6) Navreh is the lunar New Year which is celebrated in Kashmir and also falls on the same day as Ugadi or Cheiraoba or Gudi Padwa. 

7) Mahavishuva Sankranti or Pana Sankranti is celebrated as the Oriya New Year and generally falls on 13 or 14 April. 

8) Cheti Chand is celebrated as New Year's Day by Sindhis and falls a day after Ugadi and Gudi Padi. It is one of the very auspicious day in Sindhi community as they celebrates the festival to honor of the birth of “Jhulelal”.

9) The festivals of Chaitti and Basoa are celebrated as New Year festivals in the state of Himachal Pradesh and also are celebrated on the same day as Ugadi and Gudi Padwa. 

10) Pohela Boishakh or Poila Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar, celebrated in both Bangladesh and West Bengal and is celebrated on 14 or 15 April every year which is celebrated as New Year in West Bengal. This is the day of cultural programs, shopping, prayers and also considered as auspicious time for marriages. Pohela Boishakh celebrated by tribal people in hilly areas of Tripura and also in cities of other countries.

11) Chaitra Pratipada celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh with the beginning of the Hindu New Year; falls in April.

 

12) Juri Sheetal also known as Pahil Baisakh or Baisakhi or Maithili New Year is the celebration of the first day of the Maithili New Year and falls on 14 April on Gregorian calendar by the Maithils in Mithila region of India and Nepal.

13) The Losoong is one of the most popular and old age festival of Sikkim, celebrated on month of December. It marks as the end of harvesting season and the New Year for people of Sikkim. Losoong is also known as ‘Sonam Losar’ the farmer’s new year, Chham dance is one of the major attraction of festival.

14) The biggest harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially in the land of Five river’s Punjab. Usually Baisakhi falls on 13th April, and some time on 14th and also celebrated as the day of the formation of the Sikh Khalsa. The main celebration takes place at the birth place of the Khalsa and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, at Talwandi Sabo and can be seen in United States, Canada and United Kingdom.

15) Here is one more New Year which is not fallen in April. It is Bestu Varas, is the New Year's Day for Gujaratis and falls on the day next to Diwali; in the month of October or November. Besides that, I think there are more except my knowledge.

 

So friends, for Indian’s, April Rocksss!! That’s all for today! Take very care of your family and children! Have a good day/ afternoon/evening/night! Namaskar.

SUBHA NABABARSHA