This article aims to give you a sense of the diverse and rich traditions and customs that mark the celebration of the traditional New Year in various parts of India. We will delve into details of various festivals such as Vaisakhi, Vishu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi, Puthandu-Pirappu, and Bohag Bihu. These spring season festivals are significant as they symbolize the commencement of the traditional new year.
Vaisakhi: A Dual Symbol of Celebration
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs and signifies the onset of the Hindu Solar New Year. This festival commemorates the formation of the Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. However, it also serves as a grim reminder of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre committed by British empire officials, an event that played a significant role in the Indian movement against colonial rule.
Vishu: Celebrations in South India
Vishu is a Hindu festival substantially celebrated in Kerala, Tulu Nadu region in Karnataka, Mahé district of Union Territory of Pondicherry, and surrounding Tamil Nadu areas. Marking the first day of Medam, the ninth month in Kerala’s solar calendar, the festival invariably falls in mid-April according to the Gregorian calendar.
Puthandu: The Tamil New Year
Puthandu, also referred to as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is the inaugural day of the year on the Tamil calendar, traditionally hailed as a festival. Set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, it marks the beginning of the Chithirai, the Tamil month’s first day, usually falling on or around the 14th April on the Gregorian calendar.
Bohag Bihu: Assamese New Year Celebration
Celebrated in the northeastern region of India, particularly in Assam, Bohag Bihu, also known as Rongali Bihu or Xaat Bihu, is an aboriginal ethnic festivity. It symbolizes the start of the Assamese New Year and usually falls in the second week of April, indicating the time of harvest.
Naba Barsha: Bengal’s Unique New Year Celebration
Naba Barsha is the celebration of the new year in West Bengal as per the Bengali Calendar and is popularly referred to as PoilaBaisakh. It brings together people from all castes and religions across Bengal to celebrate the new year in a distinctive, magical way akin to other Bengali festivals. This festival bridges gaps among the people of Bengal and is the second most anticipated festival after Durga Pooja, especially for Hindus.
UPSC Civil Services Examination: Previous Year Questions
In the 2018 UPSC examination, the following questions were asked:
1. Chapchar Kut festival — Mizoram
2. Khongjom Parba ballad — Manipur
3. Thang-Ta dance — Sikkim
The correct pairs are Chapchar Kut festival with Mizoram and Khongjom Parba ballad with Manipur. Chapchar Kut is among Mizoram’s oldest festivals, and Khongjom Parba is a style of ballad singing from Manipur, which narrates the stories of heroic battles fought by Manipuris against the British Empire in 1891. Thang-Ta is an ancient Manipuri martial art form (Huyen Lallong) and is a sword and spear dance, where ‘Thang’ means ‘sword’ and ‘Ta’ means ‘spear’.
