Amdavad, DeshGujarat

It’s the biggest festival for Gujaratis today. Vikram Samvat year 2072 as per Gujarati calendar begins today.

Contrary to other states, Gujarat in India celebrates the festival of Diwali for entire week and even more.

Every year the day after Diwali is celebrated in Gujarat as new year day.

People dress new cloths, make good food, visit one another to greet ‘Happy new year’, ‘Saal mubarak’, ‘Nutan varsha abhinandan’.

Houses are decorated to welcome the guests.

Public places dress decoration, mainly using lights.

Younger ones seek blessings of elder ones. They receive verbal and even cash blessings in response. Rs 11, 21, 51, 101 are some of the commonest figures of cash that are received in blessing.

All Mandirs witness highest number of footfalls on this day, as people prefer to take blessing of God through ought the day.

Migrants return to their native place, well ahead of Diwali and new year day.

With this the first day of first month (which is Kartak) of Gujarati Hindu calendar year begins.

It is hard to find even single business, shop, outlet or office open today.

Generally people observe holiday till Labh Pancham which is the fifth day of new calendar year. Bhai Bij which brings huge business to sweet shops, dairies and restaurants comes in between.

– DeshGujarat