Govatsa Dwadashi 2025: Vasu Baras marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations
Govatsa Dwadashi 2025: Vasu Baras marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations
The festival, observed on October 17, honors cows and calves as symbols of prosperity, purity, and nurturing energy in Indian tradition.
Govatsa Dwadashi, also known as Vasu Baras in Maharashtra, will be celebrated on Friday, October 17, 2025, marking the first day of Diwali festivities across several regions of India. The festival venerates cows and calves, revered in Hindu culture for their sacred and life-sustaining role.
Significance and rituals
Vasu Baras is celebrated a day before Dhanteras and is observed as Nandini Vrat, dedicated to the divine cow Nandini. On this day, devotees clean and decorate cowsheds, offer saffron, flowers, and sweets to cows and calves, and perform Govatsa Puja seeking blessings for prosperity and well-being.
In urban areas, devotees often worship idols or photographs of cows and calves, symbolically expressing gratitude to the nurturing spirit of the divine mother. Rituals include drawing rangoli outside homes, observing fasts, and offering arghya—fresh water from a copper urn—to the feet of calves as a mark of reverence.
Govatsa Dwadashi 2025 Date and Time
- Festival:Â Govatsa Dwadashi / Vasu Baras
- Date:Â Friday, October 17, 2025
- Pradoshkala Muhurat:Â 05:10 PM to 07:39 PM
- Dwadashi Tithi Begins:Â 11:12 AM on October 17, 2025
- Dwadashi Tithi Ends:Â 12:18 PM on October 18, 2025
Cultural importance
The day holds deep agricultural and spiritual value, symbolizing respect for livestock that sustains rural households. In Maharashtra, Vasu Baras is seen as the true start of Diwali — a celebration of gratitude, abundance, and harmony with nature. Worshipping cows on this day is believed to bring wealth, happiness, and familial well-being.
Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to confirm local puja timings and rituals with community priests or regional calendars before observance.
