Ugadi Celebration

Ugadi, which is one of the important festivals of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, falls on Chaitra Shuddha Prathipada which is considered to be the first day of the month of Chaitra. Every Year this festival is celebrated on a different day and this year in 2020, it is falling on 29th of March. The beginning of the year or New Year is called Ugadi as per the Hindu scripture. It is believed to be the day when the prettiest season of spring starts when the nature shows all its beauty with blooming new flowers and fresh leaves. Mango tress gets filled with raw mangoes and nightingales start chanting in their sweetest voice. The world looks afresh with an altogether fresh scenic beauty spread all around in the nature. Since the Tamil people follow combined solar and Lunar calendar, so they celebrate this day as the beginning of the year and they believe that this is one of the most auspicious day to venture into new projects and ventures.

In the state of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh this festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour. People on this day start it off by taking an extensive bath in oil and also the house is cleaned as much as it can be. Mango leaves which are called as thoranas are used to decorate the doors of the houses and with great love people draw Rangolis in front of their houses. All the members of the family get dressed up in new clothes and pray and worship the almighty for a flourishing and sinful life. Also, the women of the family make delicious food in the honour of the occasion. One of the very famous dishes of the occasion is ‘Ugadi Pachadi’, which people prepare and distribute among each other.

The temple all around gets thronged with devotees and people enjoy this day in each other’s company. One of the major parts of this festival celebration is Panchanga Sravanam which refers to the tradition of the established astrologer reading the prediction for the year in a temple or some religious place. The festival

The festival preparation begins a week before the day of Ugadi. People start by washing off their houses and shopping for clothes and other items useful for the celebration. Besides Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it is also celebrated in Maharashtra where it is known with the name of Gudipadava. People decorate their houses with mango leaves which are related to the story of Lord kartik and Lord Ganeshs. It is believed that the two sons of Lord Shiva and Parvati, kartika and Lord Ganesh were very much fond of mangoes and so, on Ugadi mango leaves are put as a piece of decoration on the doorways. Besides that, mango leaves signify general well being and good crop. In the welcome of this festival people also splatter fresh cow dung water in front of their houses and decorate it with vibrant floral designs. People, like in all the festival in India, pray to God for the well being of their family and friends.