March 21: New year for many

LUCKNOW: Celebrations, celebrations and they never cease — for India. As the cliche would have it, it is the land of festivals. So here is a toast for the Parsis, Hindus, Telugus and even Maharashtrians who celebrated March 21 as the first day of their new year.
For the Hindus, it was the day Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe, while Parsis celebrate Navroz to mark the beginning of the Spring season.On the other hand, people of Andhra Pradesh celebrate the day as Ugadi, a festival of nature.
In the City of Nawabs, the celebrations were on through the day. The Andhra Pradesh association held a grand function to celebrate the day.
"Besides the cultural programmes, we also have a priest offering blessings to all and an astrologer who tells about future predictions," says Sanjay Bhoosreddy, member of the association.
And if it is festival time, there has to be a feast. The Parsis have a history that is as alluring as their traditional Mori Dar (arhar dal), that they cook on Navroz.
Some believe that the tradition of celebrating the new year began with the Assyrians bringing gifts for their Achaemenid kings. This tradition was adopted by the Imams and later spread to Persia as the Caliphate came into the country.
"It is a must to cook Mori Dar and tomato fish curry on any auspicious occasion. And it is the day when we pray for our ancestors," explains Daisy Homavazir.
"We serve a kind of drink called Ugadi Pachadi on the day. It is a concoction of neem buds and leaves along with tulsi, fruits, hing, salt and sugar. Besides this there is a rice pudding too," says Bhoosreddy.
On the other hand, Hindu mythology also links the day to the cycle of creation and destruction.
"Char yug ke anth jab hota hai to Brahma ka ek din hota hai (With the completion of four eras, one day of Lord Brahma is complete)," says Pandit Shobnath Diwedi, priest at Shiv temple on Gokhale Marg.
After Lord Brahma completes 1,000 days, he destroys the earth and then begins the cycle of creation, he said.