Gudi Padwa

 HINDU NEW YEAR Like January 1 is the Chrisitan new year, Gudi Padwa - April 5 is the Hindu New Year. I have collected the calendars followed by various communities. Gudi Padwa calendar is followed in Maharashtra, Gujarat and possibly Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. North ka calendar is followed in most of the North Indian states. The Sindhi calendar is very similar to the G Padwa one except that it starts on 6.4. The Tamil year starts on 14.4.

Month Gudi Padwa North Sindhi
1. CHAITRA 5.4 to 4.5.2000 21.3. – 18.4.2000 6.4.- 5.5.
2. VAISHAK 5.5. – 2.6. 19.4. -  18.5. 6.5 – 3.6.
3. JYESTH 3.6 – 1.7. 19.5 -   16.6. 4.6. – 3.7.
4. AASHAD   2.7. – 31.7. 17.6. -   16.7. 4.7. – 1.8.
5. SRAVAN 1.8. – 29.8.  17.7. -   15.8.  2.8. – 30.8.
6. BHADRAPATH 30.8. – 27.9. 16.8. -   13.9. 31.8. – 29.9.
7. ASHWIN 28.9. – 27.10 14.9. -   13.10. 30.9. – 28.10
8.  KARTIK 28.10. -  25.11 14.10. – 11.11. 29.10. – 27.11.
9.  MARGSHIRISH 26.11. – 25.12. 12.11. – 11.12. 28.11. – 27.12
10. PAUSH  26.12. – 24.01.2001  12.12. – 9.01.2001 28.12. – 26.01.
11. MAGH 25.01. – 23.02.  10.01 – 8.02. 27.01. – 24.02.
12. PHALGUN   24.02. – 25.03 9.02 – 9.03. 25.02. – 26.03.
      
  
TAMIL
      
1. CHITHIRAI 13.4. – 13.5
2. VAIKASI  14.5 – 14.6.
3. ANI 15.6 – 15.7.
4. ADI    16.7 – 16.8.
5. AVANI 17.8 – 16.9.
6. PUREATTASI 17.9 – 16.10.
7. IYAPPASI   17.10 – 15.11.
8. KARTHIKGAI 16.11 – 15.12.
9. MARGAZHI   16.12 – 13.1.2001.
10.THAI   14.01  - 12.02.
11.MASI   13.02 -  13.03.
12.PANGUNI  14.03 – 13.04.


Baisakhi, Diwali - are they not New Year celebrations ?

Like the rest of India, Punjab is an agricultural state. Baisakhi signifies the beginning of the harvest season and is thus celebrated. Another reason is the creation of Khalsa Panth on that day. At a congregation organized by Guru Gobind Singh on the New Year Day of 1st Baisakh, 1756 Vikrama Samvat or 30th March1699, he promised to create a new nation. If you refer to the North ka calendar above, the month of Vaishak has become Baisakh in Punjabi. Similarly in Bengal, the beginning of the harvest season is called Boishakh while in Tamil Nadu, Pongal is the three day festival celebrated at the time of rice harvest. North, South, East the concept is the same, the timing is determined by weather conditions, however.

A number of us treat Deepavali as new year. It indicates the triumphant return of LR to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana and is not a new year in a calendar sense.

Some one asked, if traditional businessmen closed their account books during Deepawali, why is April 5 the new year. Since the festival is associated with the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, businessmen, mostly Gujaratis, treat that as the New Year. Although the calendar dates are similar to Gudi Padwa, the accounting year starts at Deepawali time.