Ugadi and Gudi Padwa 2030
उगादि और गुड़ी पड़वा
Ugadi and Gudi Padwa falls on Wednesday, 3 April 2030 in New Delhi, on Shukla Pratipada.
Ugadi in Karnataka and the Telugu states and Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra are both new year's day in the lunar calendars of those regions. Telugu and Kannada families eat a mixed-flavour dish, and Maharashtrian homes raise a decorated pole.
Why this date
CalculatedIt falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, as reckoned at sunrise. This is the first day of the year for those who begin their month at the new moon. Other new years, like Vaisakhi, Puthandu and Vishu, follow the Sun instead, and so usually land a little later, in mid-April.
That’s 11 days earlier than 14 April 2029 last year.
- Pratipada begins
- 3 Apr, 3:33 AM
- It ends
- 4 Apr, 5:19 AM
2030 date by city
| New Delhi | Wed, 3 Apr |
|---|---|
| Mumbai | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Kolkata | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Chennai | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Bengaluru | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Hyderabad | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Ahmedabad | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Pune | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Jaipur | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Lucknow | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Patna | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Varanasi | Wed, 3 Apr |
| London | Wed, 3 Apr |
| New York | Wed, 3 Apr |
| San Francisco | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Toronto | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Sydney | Thu, 4 Apr |
| Singapore | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Dubai | Wed, 3 Apr |
| Port Louis | Wed, 3 Apr |
Dates in bold differ from New Delhi’s. Calculated by rule; local practice can differ.
One festival, many stories
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaBrahma begins creation
Britannica notes that, according to some Hindu texts, this is the day Brahma created the universe, and that the name comes from yuga, “era”, and adi, “beginning”. Popular writers quote a Sanskrit verse on this, attributing it to the Brahma Purana. We have seen it quoted at second hand only, so we're not reproducing it here.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaA bite of everything
Families eat bevu-bella in Karnataka or Ugadi pachadi in the Telugu states. It's made with neem, jaggery, tamarind, raw mango and more, and it's meant to say that the coming year will bring sweetness and bitterness together. It's a straightforward folk teaching and many people find it useful.
MaharashtraThe gudi at the door
A silk cloth, a neem and mango sprig and an upturned pot go up on a pole. You'll be told it's for Rama's return, or a victory flag, or Brahma's banner. Families differ, and none of these is firmly documented. In Maharashtra a Shivaji-era link is also often told.
DeccanThe Shalivahana era
This day begins a year of the Shaka era, widely used in Indian calendars and counted from 78 CE. Popular accounts link it with a Shalivahana king who is said to have defeated the Shakas. Scholars treat the attribution with caution, so it's safer to say that the era is real and that the story is debated.
Common questions
What people do
- An oil bath and new clothes in the morning
- Eating the mixed-flavour dish before anything else
- Raising a gudi at the door or window in Maharashtra
- Listening to the panchanga shravanam, a reading of the new year's almanac
Are Ugadi and Gudi Padwa the same festival?
They're the same day, under different names and with different customs. Ugadi is the Telugu and Kannada name, and Gudi Padwa the Marathi one; Sindhis mark Cheti Chand at about the same time.
Why are there so many Indian new years?
Because India uses different calendars. Lunar calendars start in Chaitra, solar calendars start when the Sun enters Aries, and some regional traditions keep other dates. None of these is the only correct one.
Why is Ugadi on the same day as the first day of Chaitra Navratri?
Because both begin on the same lunar day, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. It's one date used for two purposes in different regions.
Ask your elders
“Ask your grandmother what went into her Ugadi pachadi or bevu-bella, and who had to swallow it without making a face. If you're from Maharashtra, ask what your family says the gudi is for.”
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Ugadi”
- Report of the Calendar Reform Committee (Government of India, 1955)
- Spasht calendar engine (month naming, amanta reckoning)