Ugadi : Significance | Festivities | Celebrations | Ugadi Panchangam
According to the Hindu calendar, Ugadi or Yugadi, sometimes called Samvatsardi, is New Year's Day. It is observed in the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa. On the first day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Chaitra, it is celebrated in these areas. This usually occurs in the Gregorian calendar month of April. It also occurs in Tamil during the months of Panguni or Chithrai, occasionally on the day following Amavasya with the 27th Nakshatra Revati. The first New Moon following the March Equinox is where Ugadi Day turns.
Significance:
The day is commemorated by painting vibrant designs called Muggulu on the floor, hanging torana—mango leaf decorations—on doorways, purchasing and giving gifts like new clothing, helping the needy, providing oil massages and special baths, making and distributing pachadi, and visiting Hindu temples. A popular festive dish known as pachadi mixes all flavours, including sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and piquant. Hindu traditions in Telugu and Kannada use it as a symbolic warning to expect all kinds of experiences in the next new year and make the most of them. Followers of the Souramana calendar system observe Ugadi in Karnataka, which is also the festival of Baisakhi, when the sun transits into the Aries Constellation.
Hindus have celebrated Ugadi for a very long time. Inscriptions and literature from the Middle Ages describe significant charity contributions made on this day to Hindu temples and community organizations. Hindus celebrate the same day as their New Year in several other regions of India, including Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Mauritius, where it is a national holiday.
Terminology:
The Sanskrit terms yuga (age) and di (beginning), which translate as "the beginning of a new age," are the source of the names Yugadi and Ugadi. The first day of the bright half of the Indian month of Chaitra, also known as "Chaitra Shuddha Paadyami," marks the beginning of Yugadi or Ugadi. The Gregorian calendar typically places this in late March or early April.
The Telugu people refer to this festival as Ugadi, whereas the Kannadiga people refer to it as Yugadi.
Ugadi Festivities:
Ugathi preparations start a week in advance. They renovate and tidy their homes. New clothing and festival-related necessities have been purchased. Before dawn, they take a bath and use fresh mango leaves to adorn the entrance door and windows. The practice of tying mango leaves has a backstory: The sons of Shiva and Parvati, Kartikeya and Ganesha, loved mangoes. To welcome prosperity and a good harvest, Kartikey recommended that people fasten mango leaves to the entrance of their homes.
Following the application of the water mixed with cow dung, people also decorate the area in front of their homes with vibrant Rangolis. By worshipping the gods, one receives their blessings as the New Year begins. Gods are worshipped by people according to their preferences. Ugaadi is widely observed by people in India's Deccan plateau's varied regions. Family members assemble for a lavish meal.
Celebrations:
The Kannada, Kodava, Telugu, and Tulu diaspora in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu celebrate the occasion with great fervor; get-togethers of the extended family and a magnificent feast are "de rigueur". Early morning rituals include ritual showers, body rubs with scented oil, and prayers. Hindus prepare Ugadi Pacchadi as a symbolic meal for this event.
A week before the festival, preparations get underway. Homes receive meticulous cleaning. They shop for new festival-related products, like dhotis, and new outfits. They also decorate their front doors with fresh mango leaves. In Hindu custom, mango leaves and coconuts are used on Ugadi because they are seen as lucky. Also, people wash the front of their homes with water and cow dung paste before decorating them with vibrant floral patterns. In temples, people offer prayers. Ugadi is celebrated with religious fervour and good times with friends and family.
There are prepared dishes specifically for the event. Foods like Holige or Obattu and mango pickles are produced in Karnataka. In addition, making "bEvu-bella," a concoction of neem and jaggery, is a specialty of yugadi in Karnataka. This represents life's experiences with a tinge of sweetness and bitterness. Foods like pulihora, bobbatlu (Bhakshalu/ polelu/ oligale), new year burelu, pachadi, and preparations with raw mango go well with the occasion in Andhra Pradesh. The most famous of these is pachadi (or Ugadi pacchadi), a chutney-like meal that blends ingredients to give food its six distinct flavours: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, and astringent. Raw mango, tamarind paste, neem blossoms, brown sugar or sweet jaggery, table salt, and green chilies are the main ingredients in this festive Hindu dish (astringent). It serves as a symbolic reminder of the challenging stages of life that people can anticipate in the coming year.
Related Festivals:
In Maharashtra, the holiday is known as Gudi Padwa among Hindus and is celebrated on the same day. On Cheti Chand, the first day of their calendar year, the Sindhis also celebrate. On the same day, Manipuris also celebrate Sajibu Nongma Panba, their version of the New Year. On the same day as Nyepi, the Indonesian island of Bali is home to a significant Hindu population. One of the five Hindu national public holidays observed in Mauritius is Ugadi.
The Ugadi Panchangam:
1. According to the Panchangam, Ugadi is observed on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (the first day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Chaitra).
2. The day's sunrise must be during the Pratipada Tithi.
3. If Pratipada is seen at sunrise on two consecutive days, the first day will be celebrated.
4. If the Pratipada Tithi does not begin on a sunrise, the day will be taken into consideration.
5. Adhik Maas does not observe Ugadhi (extra month added after every 32 months, 16 days, and 8 Ghatis). The day of Ugadi is referred to as Chaitra Shuddha Padyami in Sanskrit.