We all know that Navratri starts today, on 8th April 2016. This is the first day of the Chaitra month in the Hindu Luni Solar Calendar (the first month of the year). But did you also know that this day holds special significance in many parts of our country? Also known as Gudi Padwa, this day is celebrated as New Year across Maharashtra. Here are some quick facts about Gudi Padwa that you probably did not know:1. Traditionally an agrarian society, many Indian festivals revolve around the crops and their life cycle. Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, is also a harvest festival. The date signifies the end of one season and the beginning of another. The rabi crop has just been harvested and it is time for mangoes to flood the market.
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6. On the occasion of Ugadi, a concoction is made with six ingredients, each symbolizing an emotion, to be consumed by the family members. These include neem buds/ flowers (sadness), jaggery (happiness), green chilli (anger), salt (fear), tamarind (disgust) and unripened mango (surprise).
7. A similar mixture is made in Maharashtra too, which is supposed to help purify the blood and increase immunity.8. In addition, a stuffed paratha-type dish is prepared (much like Puran Poli), called Obbattu or Holige in Karnataka and Bobbattu in Andhra Pradesh. A paste of gram and jaggery is stuffed inside a kind of a roti. It is eaten topped with ghee or milk or even coconut milk.9. Konkanis cook up Kanangachi Kheer on this day, with sweet potato, coconut milk, jaggery and rice flour.
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