02/04/2022
Samsar Padavo/Samvatsara Prathama
The New Year Day
The NEW YEAR DAY of GSBs is called Samsarpadavo/Samvatsara Prathama. The GSB community follows the lunar calendar and Chaitramasa is the first month of the year. The Samsarpadavo is celebrated on Prathama thithi of the Suklapaksha in Chaitramasa. The day is celebrated with great piety and enthusiasm.The celebration starts with the cleaning of the house and surroundings and Pooja room, the Shribhaandam, Tulsi platform etc are decorated with mango leaves. Everybody takes Oil bath (Tailabhyanga snanam) and the eligible undertake sandhya vanadanadi nitya karma (routine aradhana). All family members wear new clothes and the women wear their ornaments too. Rangoli is done with wet rice flour, in the front courtyard,Tulsi platform and all the door entrances. Then the SthaanaDeepam decorated with gandha Kunkuma and flower is lighted by the Senior Suvasini of the house followed by puja as per the tradition and culture. The Family Purohit arrives and reads Panchangam and Samvatsara phalam, specially prepared for the occasion which deals with everything that touches our day-to-day life. All family members sit in front of the Purohit and hear the predictions seriously and patiently. The belief as per the Brahmakalpa is that those who hear the Samvatsara Phalam/predictions patiently will not suffer from the evil effects by the planets. Appropriate dakshina offered by the head of the family to the Purohit and avail Ashirvada /blessings.
All members of the community proceed to temple for Deva Darsanam and carry along Sugar and Neam leaves for Nivedya samarpanm. Brahmakalpa also highlight the need of consuming the Sugar and Neam (Sweet & Bitter) prasadam offered to the deity, signifies the good and bad part of the life and consuming of the same (prasadam) has good medicinal value and good for general health. Now it is time for a sumptuous lunch. On all Konkani Parva Dina celibrations, a few special food items are invariably prepared. These items differ for every festival. For Samsarpadavo, the special items are Hittu, and Kelya Ambat. The food is to be served on plantain leaves.
The newly married couple (daughters married during the previous year) will be invited and new clothes, sweets etc given to the couple by the senior suvasini along with the blessings in traditional way.
In GSB temples, thailabhishekam etc. are done for the and the Sthapapana Vigraha and Utsava vigraha. Rituals vary with temple to temple. In the evening, Panchaganga Parayanam and Samvatsara phalam is done by the temple Acharya/Tantri for the benefit of all the community members where in a detailed description on the year’s forecast/predictions based on the positions of the various planets.
