Ugadi

What

Ugadi

When

4/13/2021

Where

Hinduism

Ugadi, also known as Yugadi, is a festival celebrating New Year’s Day for Hindus from the Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana states of India. The term Ugadi means ‘beginning of a new age’, and the festival is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra. Although this colorful, musical and flavorsome celebration is a feast for the senses, it should be noted some other denominations of Hindus don’t recognize this date as their new year.

Preparations for the festival begin a week before due to the amount of food and decorations involved. Homes are cleaned thoroughly while fresh mango leaves go up around front doors for good luck. People buy themselves new clothes for the festival, daub the front of their houses with colorful designs and use coconuts as decorations. On the day itself, families will begin by showering and covering themselves in perfumed oil, then perform prayers at their temple. Many festive dishes are prepared, most notably pachadi, a chutney dish with tamarind, raw mango and flowers which reflects sweet, sour, tangy and bitter flavors to reflect the mixed experiences of the coming year.