Hindu New Year (Chaitra) 2027

Puja Vidhi

Who Celebrates This Festival?

• All Families: The entire household observes the New Year together, praying for health, peace, and prosperity in the year ahead.
• Those Beginning New Work: Many families begin new ventures and make good resolutions (Sankalp) on this day, as it is considered one of the most auspicious days of the year.

When Should This Be Performed?

• Morning Preparation: Bathe early in the morning, during Brahma Muhurta (the pre-dawn hour before sunrise), and take an oil bath (Abhyanga Snan).
• Puja Muhurat: The New Year puja and the raising of the Gudi are done in the morning, soon after sunrise. Check the puja muhurat for your city on this page.
• Panchang Shravan: The new year's Panchang is read aloud in the morning or evening, as families prefer.

About the Festival

The Hindu New Year is celebrated across India with different names and customs, such as Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, and Cheiraoba, and marks the beginning of the new Hindu calendar year. It takes place on the Pratipada (first day) of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra.

The Katha (Story of the Beginning of Creation)

Once upon a time, in the beginning, there was nothing but the vast darkness of the cosmic waters. From the lotus that grew from the navel of Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, the Creator, appeared. He was given the task of creating the world, but it was a vast and silent emptiness.

Brahma meditated on the Supreme and began his work of creation. According to the Puranic tradition, it was on the first day of the bright half of Chaitra that he began to create the world and set time in motion, and for this reason the day is regarded as the beginning of the new year.

Remembering this beginning, people start the year with a clean mind, with prayers, and with the fresh gifts of the season: mango leaves, new flowers, and the bitter-sweet taste of neem and jaggery.

Families also hear the Panchang for the coming year, so that the year begins with devotion and good intention. Since that day, people have celebrated the New Year with an oil bath, prayers, a Gudi or Ugadi Pachadi, and the reading of the Panchang for the year ahead.

Samagri List (Items Needed)

Gather these items before starting the morning puja:

• Image / Gudi: Picture of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, or the family deity, and a bamboo stick with a bright silk cloth (Gudi), used in Maharashtra and Goa
• Tilak & Sacred Powder: Roli, Kumkum, and Akshat (unbroken rice grains)
• Lamps & Lights: A brass or clay Diya with Ghee and cotton wick, and incense
• Sacred Water Container: A small Kalash filled with fresh water
• Food Offerings (Naivedya): Neem flowers with jaggery, Shrikhand and Puran Poli (Maharashtra), or Ugadi Pachadi made of six tastes (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana)
• Devotional Accessories: Mango leaves (Aam ke Patte) for the door toran, flowers, a copper or silver pot (Kalash), and Kalava (sacred red thread)

Puja Vidhi (Step-by-Step Guide)

Follow these step-by-step instructions carefully to perform the ritual correctly:

Step 1: Morning Preparation and Sankalp

1. Wake up early during Brahma Muhurta, take an oil bath, and wear clean, new clothes.
2. Take a small amount of water in your right palm and take a Sankalp (solemn vow): "O Supreme Lord, on this first day of the new year, I offer my prayers. Grant my family health, peace, and prosperity in the year ahead."
3. Clean the home and decorate the entrance with a toran of mango leaves and a rangoli, as is the custom.

Step 2: Preparing the Puja Altar (Early Morning)

1. Clean the northeastern corner (Ishan Kone) or the eastern wall of your room.
2. Place the picture of the deity on a wooden stool (Chowki) covered with a clean cloth.
3. Place a Kalash filled with water near the picture, and in Maharashtra, raise the Gudi on the right side of the door or on a window.

Step 3: Performing the Morning Rituals

1. Lighting the Lamp: Light a Ghee Diya and incense before the deity.
2. Applying Tilak: Apply Roli, Kumkum, and Akshat to the picture and the Kalash.
3. Offering Flowers & Threads: Offer fresh flowers and tie a piece of Kalava around the Kalash.
4. Offering Naivedya: Place the Neem and jaggery mixture, or the Ugadi Pachadi, before the deity.

Step 4: Panchang Shravan

1. Hold a few grains of rice and a few flower petals in your right hand.
2. Sit respectfully in front of the altar and listen to the reading of the new year's Panchang, or hear the story of the beginning of creation, with deep focus and devotion.
3. After the reading, offer the grains and petals at the deity's feet.

Step 5: Aarti and Surya Arghya

1. Perform the Aarti using the lit Ghee lamp while singing devotional hymns.
2. Offer Arghya (water poured slowly) to the rising Sun, praying for a bright and blessed year.
3. Eat a little of the Neem and jaggery, or the Ugadi Pachadi, as a reminder that the year will bring both joy and sorrow.

Step 6: Seeking Blessings and Sharing Prasad

1. Touch the feet of the elders in your family to seek their blessings (Charan Sparsh).
2. Distribute the sweet prasad among your family members, friends, and neighbours.
3. Close the day with a festive sattvic meal together.