Ugadi

Ugadi

Hyderabad

Telangana

Art & Culture

The word Ugadi literally means a ‘new era’. Ugadi is the also one among the renowned telugu festivals better known as the Telugu New Year day which begins in the month of The Chaitra (April or May) which heralds joy, peace and prosperity. The people in the region celebrate this day with enthusiasm and the celebrations for the festival begins weeks prior to the festival. Ugadi is also an occasion for cultural activities, Poets join together and recite poems in Kavisammelans. The celebrations for the festival begins weeks before the festival. On the festival day, people decorate their house entrances with mango leaves to please their beloved deities. ‘Ugadi Pachadi’ is a famous dish that is associated with the festival. The delicacy contains six types of ingredients to signify the six different flavours in life.Ugadi Pachadi is a special dish made on this day, which symbolizes the essence of life. Here are the ingredients used to make this dish and what it symbolizes - Jaggery (sweet) - happiness Salt (salty) - interest in life Tamarind (sour) - challenges Neem flowers (bitter) - difficulties in life Raw mango (tangy) - surprises and new challenges Chilli powder (spicy) - angry moments in one’s lifeThe dish is significant as it has all the tastes of life It teaches that life is a mixture of all the emotions Each and every ritual followed on this day has its own significance Hanging of mango leaves and placing a kalash near the door or the calling of the priest to make the yearly forecast are all part of Ugadi significance and symbolism.

 

The day is observed by drawing colourful patterns on the floor called Muggulu/ Rangoli, mango leaf decorations on doors called torana, buying and giving gifts such as new clothes, giving charity to the poor, oil massages followed by special baths, preparing and sharing a special food called pachadi, and visiting Hindu temples.^[4][5] The pachadi is a notable festive food that combines all flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and piquant. In Kannada and Telugu harvest traditions, it is a symbolic reminder that one must expect all flavors of experiences in the coming new year and make the most of them.^[6] Followers of the Souramana calendar system observe Ugadi in Karnataka, when the sun transits into the Aries Constellation, which is also the festival of Baisakhi, and is locally known as Souramana Ugadi or Mesha Sankranti.^[7]