Navreh is the lunar new year of Kashmiri Pandits. The auspicious day is celebrated widely in Jammu and Kashmir as Navreh or Kashmiri New Year. People greet each other on this day saying 'Navreh Mubarak' (Happy New Year)! Navreh is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nava-Varsha', meaning New Year. The first day of Chaitra (March-April) month is celebrated as Navreh in the state. A customary practice on Navreh is to keep a plate of unhusked rice with a bread, a cup of curd, a little salt, a little sugar candy, a few walnuts or almonds, a silver coin, a pen, a mirror, some flowers (rose, marigold, crocus, or jasmine), the new panchanga or almanac to see as the first thing on waking up in the morning.

On the occasion of Navreh and Cheti Chand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings to all Kashmiri Pandits and the Sindhi community. He tweeted saying, "Navreh Mubarak! As the new year begins, I pray that everyone’s lives are blessed with tremendous happiness, prosperity, and good health. Every Indian takes immense pride in the rich culture of the Kashmiri Pandit community."

Here are the tweets:

The preparations are done during the night itself as the first thing in the morning is to look at this plate. Kashmiri Pandits observe the same ritual in the morning on Sonth or the Kashmiri spring festival. Kashmiri Pandits offer prayers to Goddess Nav Durga on this day.

According to the Kashmiri Hindu calendar, the Saptarshi Era began on the same day about 5079 years ago. Legends say that Saptarishis gathered on the Sharika Parvat also known as Hari Parbat in Kashmir at the auspicious moment when the first ray of the sun fell on the Chakreshvara on this day and paid tribute to her. The Saptarishi are seven rishis who are thought of highly at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2018 10:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).