On Gujarati New Year, cows race in Patan village, villagers apply sacred hoof-dust as tilak

Patan (The Uttam Hindu): On the auspicious occasion of Gujarati New Year (Besta Varsha), in Godhana village, located in the Vadhiyar area of ​​Patan district, Gujarat, the age-old folk tradition was once again observed with great joy and devotion. On the day of Besta Varsha, the entire village's cattle were gathered at one place, where the villagers worshipped the cows as per the rituals. After the worship, the cowherds made hundreds of cows run rapidly from the open field towards the fields. During this time, the villagers considered the dust rising from the cows' hooves to be extremely sacred and auspicious and applied it on their foreheads like a tilak. Through this unique tradition, the villagers begin the new year with a pledge of cow service and collective brotherhood.

The youth of Bharwad community decorated the cows, after worship they were fed green fodder

On the morning of the best year, a festive atmosphere was seen in Godhana village, where the youth of Bharwad community traditionally decorated and groomed all the cows in a special way. After this, amidst the thunderous chants of Gaumata, they were gathered in the outskirts of the village and collectively worshipped. Immediately after the worship was over, the cowherds made all the cows run together towards the fields. Due to the fast running of the cows, a huge cloud of dust arose in the field, to see which a large number of villagers were present. After the race was over, all the cows were served by feeding them nutritious green fodder.

The tradition began with donating green grass from the fields, which the villagers have cherished for generations

Hirabhai Khodabhai Jadav, a local leader of the village, shared the historical aspect of the origin of this ancient tradition. He said that in the olden times, during the festival of Diwali, all the villagers were extremely busy with celebrations and domestic events, due to which it became difficult to take the cattle out for grazing daily. In such a situation, on the New Year's Day, with the aim of earning merit, the farmers would open the green grass in their fields for the cattle and donate it. Under this system, the cows of the entire village were gathered in a field, worshipped and then driven straight to the fields for grazing, which over time became the inseparable cultural identity of the village.

Folk tradition continues even in the modern era, the festival has become a symbol of mutual harmony

According to the village's senior citizen Bharmalbhai Hemabhai Jadav, this unique tradition has been going on continuously for many generations and even in this era of modernity, the new generation of the village is carrying it forward with full devotion. Earlier, such collective events used to be organised in most of the villages of Vadhiyar region, but with time this tradition started shrinking. Presently, this living tradition remains only in a few villages including Godhana, where on the day of New Year, the entire village unites and gives a unique message of social unity and cow protection.