Ugadi literally - the start of an era, is the new year's day for the people of the Deccan region of India. While the people of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka use the term Ugadi for this festival, the people of Maharashtra term the same festival, observed on the same day, Gudi Padwa. Sindhis, people from Sindh, celebrate the same day as their New Year day Cheti Chand. Ugadi is celebrated on different day every year because the Hindu calendar is lunisolar calendar. The Saka calendar begins with the month of Chaitra (March/April) and the Ugadi mark the first day of the new year.
Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon's orbit. On this day, people chant mantras and the pundits make predictions for the coming year. Traditionally, the "Panchangasravanam" or listening to the yearly calendar was done at the temples or at the Town square but with the onset of modern technology, one can get to hear the priest-scholar on television sets right in one's living room.
Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough wash. Shopping for new clothes and buying other items that go with the requirements of the festival are done with a lot of excitement.
It is a season for raw mangoes spreading its aroma in the air and the fully blossomed Neem tree that makes the air healthy. Also, jaggery made with fresh crop of sugarcane adds a renewed flavour to the typical dishes associated with Ugadi.
Ingrediant | Taste | Message | |
1 | Jaggery | Sweet | Adds happiness to life |
2 | Salt | Salty | Adds taste to life |
3 | Neem flowers | Bitter | Unhappy moments in life |
4 | Tamarind | Sour | Disgraceful sad moments in life |
5 | Raw Mango Pieces | Sour | Disgraceful sad moments in life |
6 | Chilli powder | Hot | Angry moments in life |
People celebrating this festival are supposed to wake up early in the morning at about 5 am. and have a head bath. Being a new festival it demands kith and kin to wear new clothes. Elder woman of the house prepares Ugadi Pacchadi Prasadam (Ugadi Sammelan) and distributes it to all the members of the family chanting the following sloka:
Prasadam is to be taken with an empty stomach as to have a balanced life all through the year. A delicious lunch comprising of Garelu, Pulihora (Yellow rice), Payasam(Kheer), etc. follows.
This auspicious day is also known for its "Panchang Sravanam" chanted by Veda Pandits. Panchaang contains astronomical data relating to the position of the Sun, The Moon, Planets, Stars and details of Eclipses, Occultations, Raasi results, Muhurtams etc. for one complete year (usually from April to March).
It is a customary practice to attend the temple in the evening of this day where a Siddhanthi (Pandit) recites Panchanga Sravanam. The yearly fore cast for the country as a whole, different places and people basing on Raasis will be predicted. It is believed that listening to Panchanga Sravanam does good to the people.
With the raw mango available in abundance only during the two months (of April/May), people in Andhra Pradesh make good use of mangoes to last them until the next season. They pickle the mangoes with salt, powdered mustard and powdered dry red chilli and a lot of oil to float over the mangoes. This preparation is called "avakai" and lasts for a whole year.
Kavi Sammelanam (poetry recitation) is a typical Telugu Ugadi feature. Ugadi is also a time when people look forward to a literary feast in the form of Kavi Sammelanam. Many poets come up with new poems written on subjects ranging - from Ugadi - to politics to modern trends and lifestyles.
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