Gaura, the main festival of far westerners, has started from today. This festival starts from Bhadra Krishna Panchami or Shukla Paksha and ends on the 15th of Durvashtami (Ashtami).

Bhadra Krishna Panchami is called Biruda Panchami in Far West. On the day of Biruda Panchami, gaura is started by soaking Biruda. Biruda still has the tradition of worshiping Gauradevi. 

There has been a trend of considering five types of grains as wheat, wheat, mas, guarauns and bananas. On the day of Biruda Panchami, it has been a tradition to mix all the five types of grains and soak them in a copper vessel. In some places, there is also a custom to just mix Biruda without soaking it. 

In Gaura, fasting women wear a special type of thread i.e. double thread. Married women wear double thread. It is customary to worship Gaura and Maheshwar during the Gaura festival. In this festival, Biruda worships Gaura and Maheshwar. 

It is a tradition to take the soaked Biruda on the day of Biruda Panchami to a nearby well or stream on the day of Shashti. On the day of Amuktabharana Saptami, Gaura is brought into the Gaura house. There is a practice of making idols of Gaura by bringing plants such as Sanwa, Apamarga from paddy field. 

The main day of Gaura is Durvashtami i.e. Athawali. This year, Athawali falls on August 15. On the day of Athawali, fasting women worship Goddess Gauradevi at Gaura Khala. Author Acharya Ganesh Dutt said that it is customary for Birudas to worship Gaura Devi by singing Phag and Sagun which are sung in Gaura. On the day of Athawali, after worshiping Gaura Devi throughout the day, fasting women wear double thread.

It is customary to worship the heads of their husbands, children and relatives with Biruda, which is an offering to Gaura Mata. The Acharya writer said that there is a tradition of worshiping the head with the wish of long life, health and wealth.  He said that after Atthawali, the main day of Gaura, there is a tradition of playing vertical games, dhusko, and dhamari based on the stories of gods and goddesses. The author said that the story of Shiva Parvati will also be sung in this game. 

Similarly, Athola Panchang has also published Gaura's Shubhasait while wishing Gaura. According to a statement signed by Panchankar Astrologer Dilliraj Joshi, on 12th of August Bhadra Shukla Paksha Panchami Tithi is Singh Lagna till 7:10 AM and Panchamithithi till 3:54 PM. Biruda Panchami is also celebrated on this day for soaking Biruda (five grains). The last date for washing Biruda is 5:54 pm on 13th August.