Gujarati New Year or Bestu Varas is celebrated a day after Diwali, which falls on Shukla Paksha Pratipada of the Kartik month. It is also called Varsha-Pratipada or Padwa. The day is celebrated with great fervor across the state of Gujarat.

Gujarati New Year 2020: How is Bestu Varas celebrated?

This is the time when the businessmen and traders start their new account books after closing the old one. In Gujarati culture, it is called Chopda. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in Chopda Puja with the belief that it would help make the new year more prosperous and profitable.

During the ritual, ‘Shubh’ and ‘Labh’ are written on the new account books which mean ‘auspicious’ and ‘benefit’, respectively. A swastika is also made at the beginning.