Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Bihu and Vishu Sarees: A Guide to the Spring New Years
For Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Bihu, Vishu and the other spring new years, wear a new saree in your festival’s colours, in a light cotton that copes with April heat. In most families that means saffron, yellow, green or purple with a zari border for Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, off-white with red for Bihu and Poila Baisakh, and off-white with gold for Vishu. In 2027 the season runs from Wednesday 7 April, when Gudi Padwa and Ugadi fall, to Thursday 15 April, when most calendars place Vishu, Poila Baisakh and the Assamese new year. Below: every date and why they differ, fabric for the heat, each festival’s traditional dress and how to echo it in a six-yard cotton saree, and dressing for the office or far from home.
Spring New Year 2027: Every Date
India’s spring new years follow two clocks. The lunar ones begin on the first day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra; the solar ones begin when the sun enters Aries, known as Mesha Sankranti. In 2027 that splits the season into two clusters a week apart: 7 and 8 April, then 14 and 15 April.
Why some fall on 7 April and others on 14 or 15 April
In 2027 the sun enters Aries on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 April, at roughly half past three in India; the exact minute differs a little between panchangs. Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Odisha mark their new year that day. Kerala and Bengal follow their own rules about when a month begins after the transit, and those rules place Vishu and Poila Baisakh on Thursday 15 April in most calendars. Bangladesh fixed Pohela Boishakh on 14 April after reforming its calendar, so in 2027 Dhaka and Kolkata celebrate a day apart. Check your state’s 2027 holiday list and your local panchang before you plan leave.
Fabric for April Heat
April is already hot across much of India, and these festivals start early: a gudi raised at sunrise, a Vishukkani seen before dawn, an oil bath in some Tamil homes before Puthandu, then cooking, a temple visit and a long lunch. Choose a saree that breathes first and shines second; if you want a heavier woven saree for the puja, change into cotton afterwards.
Plain mul cotton is the lightest choice: our plain mul cotton sarees are ₹1,699 and come without a blouse piece. Plain mul modal, at ₹1,899, is just as breathable with a softer, more fluid fall, and comes with a 1 m running blouse piece. For a festive glint without weight, mul cotton with zari, such as Kamakshi, Emerald, Saaz and Manjari (₹1,799 to ₹2,299), gives you the zari glint of a heavier festival saree. Handloom linen with a zari border (₹4,299, with a 1 m blouse piece) is crisp and cool for an office celebration. Keep handloom cotton tissue and pure chiffon for the evening, when the heat has eased.
More in mul cotton vs mul modal, the best saree fabric for every season and how to wash cotton, chiffon and linen sarees.
Gudi Padwa: Paithani Colours, Lighter Cloth
On Gudi Padwa, Maharashtrian homes raise a gudi at the door or window: a bright new cloth tied to a bamboo pole, topped with neem and mango leaves, a garland of flowers and sugar crystals, and an upturned copper or silver pot. Families draw rangoli, taste neem and jaggery, and wear new clothes. The classic look is the nine-yard Nauvari, often a Paithani with its peacock and lotus pallu, worn with a nath (nose ring), a crescent chandrakor bindi, a gajra and kolhapuri chappals.
There is no single required colour, whatever astrology lists say for a given year. Saffron, yellow, green, red and purple or magenta are the colours you will see most, and green and purple are the classic Paithani grounds. In a six-yard cotton saree you can carry that spirit with a jewel-tone body and a contrasting or zari border.
If you are hosting, start the morning in Pink Guava or Olive Oasis, green mul cotton you can hand wash, and change into Emerald or Saaz, green mul cotton with zari stripes, with a rani pink or maroon blouse, when guests arrive.
Ugadi: Yellow, Green and a Zari Border
Ugadi falls on the same day as Gudi Padwa, the first day of Chaitra, and marks the new year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Homes hang mango-leaf torans over the door, draw muggulu or rangoli, and share Ugadi pachadi, a mix of six tastes from sweet jaggery to bitter neem, in the Telugu states, or bevu-bella, neem and jaggery, in Karnataka: a taste of everything the year ahead may bring. Many families also gather for the Panchanga Shravanam, a reading of the new almanac.
The traditional choice is a new saree, in many homes a heavy pattu with a zari border. Yellow, cream, green and off-white with a gold border are the colours most families reach for, with turmeric yellow and mango-leaf green the favourite pairing. A cotton saree with a zari border gives you the same look in a fraction of the weight.
If you are making the pachadi and the festival meal, start in plain cotton and change into zari later. For a yellow saree, our guide to a blouse for a yellow saree has more pairings, and for Chaitra Navratri, which begins the same day in 2027, see our Navratri colours guide.
Cheti Chand and Baisakhi
Cheti Chand, on Thursday 8 April 2027 in India (some calendars set for other countries show 7 April), is the Sindhi new year and the birth anniversary of Jhulelal, whom many Sindhis honour as a form of Varuna, the god of water. Families carry a Baharana Sahib, an offering with a lamp, to a river or the sea, and in many cities there are processions. There is no fixed dress code: new festive clothes are the rule, so wear the saree you feel best in. For an evening celebration, a printed pure chiffon such as Liora in yellow or Elara in orange is light, moves well and comes with a 1 m crepe blouse piece.
Baisakhi, on Wednesday 14 April 2027, is Punjab’s harvest festival and, for Sikhs, the day the Khalsa was founded at Anandpur Sahib in 1699. In Punjab most women wear a salwar suit, often a Patiala, with a phulkari dupatta in yellow, orange, red or green, and the saree is not the tradition there. A saree makes sense for an office lunch, a mela in another city or a celebration abroad. Take your colours from the phulkari: mustard, orange, rani pink and green.
Harvest Sun is mul cotton at ₹2,199 that you can hand wash in cold water after a dusty mela; Amber in yellow mul modal is plainer, so a phulkari dupatta can be the star.
Bohag Bihu: The Mekhela Look in a Saree
Rongali or Bohag Bihu is Assam’s spring new year, and the celebrations run for about a week. In 2027, Goru Bihu, the day cattle are bathed and honoured, falls on Wednesday 14 April, and Manuh Bihu, the new year itself, on Thursday 15 April. For many families Manuh Bihu begins with a turmeric bath, then pitha, visits to elders with the gift of a gamosa, and Bihu songs and dance through the evening.
The traditional dress is the mekhela chador: a two-piece set woven in Assam’s own yarns or in cotton, much loved in cream, off-white and Assam’s golden tones with red motifs. Many Assamese women wear it for Bihu, and a saree is a common alternative, especially outside Assam or for anyone without a mekhela of her own. A Bihu-style saree means the same story: off-white with red, the colours of the gamosa, or a warm gold.
For a Bihu-inspired look in a saree, Devi (white mul cotton with gold and red detailing, ₹1,999) and Kamakshi (white with a red border and gold zari, ₹1,799) both carry the red-on-white story. Rangam, a white striped mul cotton, takes on the Bihu colours with a red blouse. For golden tones at an evening function, try Golden Hour or Miss Earth. For a more playful take, Crimson Charm, red mul cotton with hand block printed polka dots, looks fresh with a white blouse.
Vishu: Kani Gold and Off-White
Vishu begins before dawn with the Vishukkani, the first sight of the new year. An uruli is arranged with rice, cucumber, mango, jackfruit, gold, coins, a holy text, a mirror and the yellow konna flowers of the season, lit by a nilavilakku lamp, and seen first thing on waking. Then come the kaineettam of coins from elders and a vegetarian sadya. In 2027, Vishu falls on Thursday 15 April in Kerala; some calendars set for other places show 14 April, so go by your local Malayalam calendar.
Women often wear a kasavu saree or a set mundu, the two-piece mundum neriyathum, off-white with a gold border; men wear a mundu. Kasavu is not just for Onam: it is the natural choice for Vishu too, and our Onam saree guide explains kasavu, the set saree and the drape in detail. You can browse our Kerala kasavu sarees; if what you want is out of stock when you shop, these come close.
With an off-white and gold saree, a red, green, maroon or gold blouse all work. Jasmine in the hair, a little gold and a sandal-paste dot are the classic finish. If your morning starts with an oil bath, keep zari away from oily hands.
Poila Baisakh: Red and White
Poila Baisakh opens the Bengali year 1434 on Thursday 15 April 2027 in West Bengal, in most calendars, and on 14 April in Bangladesh. Shops open new ledgers in the haal khata ceremony and offer sweets to customers, families visit and sit down to a long lunch, and in Dhaka the day begins with a dawn concert at Ramna.
The classic Poila Baisakh saree is the laal-paar: white or off-white with a red border, the same pairing many Bengali women wear for Durga Puja. Many families describe the red as auspicious and the white as fresh and pure for a new start, and handloom cotton and jamdani are the Bengal favourites. You do not have to stop at the classic: some younger Kolkata women wear the red and white with a shirt, a crop top or a belt, and red with a white blouse turns the pairing around.
Kamakshi is dry clean only; Devi, Crimson Charm and True Garnet can be hand washed gently in cold water after a long lunch. For Bengal’s own weave lineage, Naples is a yellow floral Dhakai jamdani at ₹4,999. More red and white pairings in our Durga Puja saree guide and blouses for a red saree.
Puthandu and Pana Sankranti
Both new years fall on Wednesday 14 April 2027. Puthandu, the first day of Chithirai, begins in many Tamil homes with a kanni tray of fruit, flowers, gold, coins and a mirror seen at dawn, then a kolam at the door, a temple visit and a vegetarian feast. Pana Sankranti, also called Maha Vishuba Sankranti, is the Odia new year: families share pana, a cooling drink of bael, curd, chhena and jaggery, the new Panjika almanac is released, and Danda Nata performances and Hanuman Jayanti are marked across Odisha.
The rule in both is simply to wear something new. For Puthandu, crisp mul cotton handles a long day of cooking and visiting; Madurai’s tie-dyed sungudi is another Tamil summer cotton, although we do not make it. For Pana Sankranti without a Sambalpuri or Bomkai of your own, a zari-striped mul cotton such as Saaz is cool and festive.
Office, City and Mixed-Family Celebrations
Many of us celebrate these new years far from home: Bihu in Bengaluru, Poila Baisakh in Delhi, Vishu in Mumbai, Ugadi in an office in Pune. Without the traditional textile, carry the colour story and one regional detail.
Handwoven, zari, tissue, embroidered and heirloom sarees should be pre-pleated rather than stitched: fold and pin them the night before, with nothing sewn.
Spring New Year Sarees in This Guide
KamakshiWhite mul cotton, red border, gold zariPair with Red, green, gold
DeviWhite mul cotton, gold and red detailingPair with Red, maroon, gold
The Go toIvory handloom linen, zari borderPair with Red, green, gold
Miss EarthYellow handloom cotton tissue, embroidery and zariPair with Maroon, gold, green
AmberPlain yellow mul modalPair with Green, maroon, rani pink
Golden HourMustard handloom linen, zari borderPair with Bottle green, magenta, gold
EmeraldGreen mul cotton, zari stripesPair with Gold, rani pink, yellow
Pink GuavaGreen mul cotton, pink borderPair with Rani pink, gold, maroon
ManjariRed mul cotton, zari stripesPair with Gold, green, white
Crimson CharmRed polka dot block print mul cottonPair with White, yellow, gold
Harvest SunMustard gingham mul cottonPair with Rani pink, bottle green, white
LioraYellow floral print pure chiffonPair with Yellow, gold, green
Browse our traditional sarees, pooja sarees, white sarees, yellow sarees and cotton sarees. For other festivals, read our Onam saree guide, pooja saree guide, Makar Sankranti saree guide and Navratri colours guide. Shipping is free in India, we ship internationally and cash on delivery is available, so order well before 7 April to have your saree in time.
Questions People Ask
What colour saree should I wear on Gudi Padwa?
Saffron, yellow, green, red and purple or magenta are the most popular; green and purple are classic Paithani colours. No single colour is required, so choose one that suits you, ideally with a zari or contrast border.
Is a Nauvari compulsory for Gudi Padwa?
No. The Nauvari is the classic look, but many women wear a six-yard saree in Paithani colours with a nath, chandrakor bindi and gajra. A full Nauvari drape needs a nine-yard saree, about 8 m.
Are Gudi Padwa and Ugadi the same festival?
They fall on the same day, the first of Chaitra, and both mark the new year, but they belong to different regions with their own customs: the gudi in Maharashtra, Ugadi pachadi and bevu-bella in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
What do people wear on Ugadi?
A new saree, often with a zari border, in yellow, green, cream or off-white with gold. Lucky-colour lists for the year come from astrology and vary by source.
What is the traditional dress for Bihu, and can I wear a saree instead?
The traditional dress is the mekhela chador, a two-piece set often in cream or golden tones with red motifs. A saree in off-white with red, or a warm gold, is a common alternative, especially outside Assam.
What do women wear on Vishu?
Many wear a kasavu saree or set mundu, off-white with a gold border. Kasavu is not just for Onam; konna yellow is the other Vishu favourite.
Why do Bengalis wear red and white on Poila Baisakh?
Many families see red as auspicious and white as fresh and pure for a new beginning. The white saree with a red border, the laal-paar, is the classic for the new year as well as for Durga Puja.
What can I wear for Baisakhi if not a suit?
A saree in phulkari colours, mustard, orange, rani pink or green, works well for an office lunch, a city mela or a celebration abroad. Carry a phulkari dupatta over one shoulder if you own one.
Which fabric is best for a festival saree in April heat?
Plain mul cotton is the lightest and coolest, and mul modal is just as breathable with a softer fall. Keep tissue, linen and chiffon for the evening, when the heat has eased.
When are Vishu, Bihu and Poila Baisakh in 2027?
In most calendars Vishu and Poila Baisakh fall on Thursday 15 April 2027, and Bohag Bihu on 14 and 15 April with celebrations for about a week. Bangladesh marks Pohela Boishakh on 14 April; check your local calendar.
