The festival of Gudi Padwa, which marks the start of the traditional Marathi New Year, was celebrated with enthusiasm in Nashik district of North Maharashtra on Wednesday.?

In the morning, people installed "gudis" at their homes, wore new clothes and exchanged greetings with their friends and family members.

The gudi is a bamboo stick decorated with a colourful cloth tied to a 'kalash' at the top and a garland of flowers attached to it along with mango leaves and neem leaves. Hoisting the 'gudis' is considered auspicious and believed to bring good luck and fortune.

People visited temples of various deities to seek blessings on the auspicious occasion, which saw organisation of various cultural programmes.?

The spring festival is also the day when people buy new properties, cars, jewellery and household items.