Kasumba Chath
What it is
Kasumba Chath falls on Ashadh Sud 6, and tradition credits Shri Giridharji with first celebrating it for Shri Thakorji, making it, by that account, the very first utsav of the Pushtimarg year to be observed as the monsoon arrives. "Kasumba" refers to the deep saffron-red dye and colour associated with the day, echoing the colour of the newly arrived monsoon clouds and the fresh green of the land breaking after the first rains.
Coming right at the start of the rainy season, it marks the shift into Vraj's monsoon mood, the same season that soon brings Hindola and the long swing celebrations through Shravan.
Why we observe it
A festival built to welcome rain carries an obvious Vraj bhav: the monsoon is what makes Vraj green, feeds the cows Krishna tended, and fills the Yamuna Shri Vallabhacharya sang to. Kasumba Chath's kasumba colour, worn or offered in the seva of the day, is a small, festive way of matching Shrinathji's surroundings to what the land itself is doing at that moment.
For a Vaishnav, the day is a gentle opening note before Shravan's fuller run of observances (Nag Pancham, Thakurani Teej, Rakshabandhan, Pavitra Baras) begins: a first colour laid down before the season's real business gets underway.