Published By: Nibandh Vinod
Last Updated: March 21, 2023, 07:15 IST
Ugadi marks the beginning of the Telugu New Year. (Image: Shutterstock)
Ugadi 2023: Pacchadi serves as a symbolic reminder to the people that the coming year would be filled with a variety of flavours rather than only sweet ones
UGADI 2023: The festival of Ugadi will be celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on March 22. Ugadi marks the beginning of the Telugu New Year. In Karnataka the New Year will also be celebrated the same day and the Kannada New Year is celebrated as Yugadi. As per the Hindu calendar, the festival of Ugadi is celebrated on the first day in the month of Chaitra, which corresponds to mid-April on the Gregorian Calendar.
The day is also observed as Gudi Padwa by Marathis and the Konkani Hindus. The day marks the start of the harvest season for rabi crops.
Considering the cultural diversity of India, the day goes by different names in different cultures. The day is known as Cheti Chand in the Sindhis community, and marks the beginning of the Sindhi New Year.
Ugadi 2023: Celebrations
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, carrying out charitable acts for the needy, providing oil massages and special baths to oneself, making and distributing a popular festive dish named pachadi, and visiting Hindu temples.
Pacchadi serves as a symbolic reminder to the people that the coming year, as well as all of life, would be filled with a variety of flavours rather than only sweet ones. The food combines all the flavours, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and piquant, into one dish.
Ugadi 2023: History and Significance
- According to Hindu belief, the universe is governed by the supreme-trinity of Lord Brahma, the creator; Lord Vishnu, the protector; and Lord Shiva, the destroyer.
- The universe, which is said to be a creation of Lord Brahma, is believed to have come into existence on the day of Ugadi.
- This was followed by the creation of days, weeks, months and years in order to document time and that is how the Hindu calendar is believed to have been born.
Why Ugadi is Called New Year?
The word Ugadi or Yugadi has been derived from the Sanskrit words Yuga (Age or period) and Adhi (beginning). So, Ugadi refers to the beginning of a new year.
An interesting fact related to Ugadi is that the country of Mauritius, which has a sizable Hindu population, treats the day as a public holiday.
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