New Year in India: dates and traditions of celebrating

Folk wisdom says that the very first day of the year predetermines all subsequent 364. Therefore, it is customary to meet a new cycle of chronology with noisy festivities. Many do not spare money to meet the arrival of the New Year for a richly decorated table. But what about travel? Without the chiming clock, but without snowdrifts outside the window, in some tropical countries on the shores of the warm sea? It sounds tempting. And although we have already missed the celebration of the world New Year 2015, everything has not been lost yet. After all, there is such a country as India. In this amazing land, a significant event occurs four times a year. And in some states and more often. Let's learn how to celebrate the New Year in India. Maybe we'll guess and also take part in a magical fun?

Why so many New Year celebrations?

India is a multicultural country. Side by side with the Hindus, who constitute the religious majority, people of different faiths live. This is Christians, and Muslims, and Buddhists. And everything does not mind celebrating. But what is not celebrated in India at all, is the Old New Year. But this only means that there are very few Russian tourists in the country, and they did not inform the local population of such a wonderful opportunity to welcome the arrival on January 14. Traditional New Year in India began to be celebrated relatively recently. The festivities take place in the state of Goa, the recent colony of Portugal, with the greatest scope . There, this event takes place in a bunch of Christmas and Adoration of the Magi, that is, everything is permeated with Christian spirituality. But in the Hindu calendar, New Years are also enough. They are celebrated in February, April, May, and also in October.

Holi

The date of February 24 is also the New Year. In India Holi is celebrated in all states. This is an official day off. Another name for Holi is the "Holiday of Colors". On this day, people of all ages sprinkle each other with a multicolored powder of crushed Ayurvedic herbs. The houses are decorated with lamps and lights. Orange flags are hung out. On this day it is customary to wear pink, red, white and purple clothes. The culmination of the festival is the burning of a large scarecrow or a tree adorned with garlands. Unlike Europeans, the Hindus in the New Year conduct religious rituals - puja. In temples, as well as in homes, the goddess Lakshmi and the gods of love are honored - Kama and Krishna. Well, then they go on a visit or sit down at a festive table with the whole family.

Goody Padva

Another New Year in India is in the spring. It does not have an exact date, because it is tied to the lunar calendar, like our Easter. But for the Hindus with his arrival, the first month of the year begins - honey (mid March - first half of April). It marks a new agricultural cycle. Particularly bright Goody Padva (or the Vishuvela Festival) is celebrated in the state of Keral. There are carnival processions. People dress up in skirts made of banana leaves, and their faces are covered with masks. The holiday lasts five days. The first make offerings to the sacred cows, in the second - they give their relatives. The third day - Hosein Bihu - is assigned to religious ceremonies. According to the results of the carnival processions, the biha canvori is chosen - the best dancer. Local residents are very religious, and this must be remembered when they came to celebrate the New Year in India. Traditions prescribe not just to have fun and fireballs, to do and receive gifts, but also to honor various deities. Since it was on this day that the next character of the Hindu Olympus prevailed over the duty demon.

India on New Year's Day: 2015 on Shaka's calendar

For a long time the country lived on its own chronology. The year began with the month of Chaitra, or rather - with the vernal equinox (March 22). To each region of India this holiday is called in its own way: Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh, Panchanga shravana in Andhra, Nadu in Tamil. But in the state of Kashmir this New Year is celebrated for a very long time. Celebrations begin on March 10 and continue until April. All this time in Kashmir the merriment accompanied by fairs does not cease.

Diwali, or the Feast of Lights

This joyful event is celebrated in October. Hindus believe that on that day Prince Rama defeated the evil demon Ravana and took back his stolen wife Sita. In honor of the victory of light over the darkness, people light thousands of lamps. And the next day after Diwali comes the New Year. In India, the tradition of counting this holiday as an analogue of January 1 is not everywhere. Mostly the New Year in October is celebrated by the Gujarati people, while the rest of the Indians celebrate just Diwali. But after the Feast of Fire comes Besta Varas (Warsaw-pratipada). According to the Gujarati, once Krishna himself saved their people from destructive downpours and gave them a plentiful harvest. Therefore, the tradition prescribes to celebrate the New Year with a tray of fruit. Well, in the evening the sky explodes from the noise of firecrackers and fireworks.

India, New Year, tours

If you want to meet the holiday according to the European calendar, then there is a sense to do it in some tropical country. Recently, the night from December 31 to January 1 is considered a holiday everywhere. This is a joyous event that connects people of different faiths and atheists. Therefore, wherever you go, thousands of local residents will celebrate the most important night of the year with you everywhere. But each country has its own peculiarities to celebrate this date. Here, for example, the state of Goa. The most Catholic region of the country, which even the locals say is not exactly India. Goa, the New Year in which always leaves a lot of the most joyful impressions, is good even on weekdays. But in the Christmas period - it's something special! Therefore, tours are sent there. Disco on the shore of the warm sea, a light breeze and the lights shine. All celebrations are not without a certain European symbolism - Christmas trees, Santa Clauses and reindeer. Since in Goa the winter is the peak of the season, it makes sense to book tours ahead of time. So you can save on early booking.