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Ugadi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Yugadi)

Ugadi
Ugadi Pachadi with puja tray
Official nameఉగాది (Telugu)
ಯುಗಾದಿ (Kannada)
Also calledSamvatsaradi, Yugadi
Observed byTelugu and Kannadiga Hindus
TypeReligious (Hindu), social, cultural
SignificanceDenotes the start of the New Year
CelebrationsMuggu/Rangoli, visiting Temples, Feast with Bobbattu, Holige and Bevu Bella
DateChaitra Shukla Pratipada
2025 date30 March (Sunday)
2026 date19 March (Thursday)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toGudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navreh
Explanatory note
on Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.

Ugadi Pachadi

Ugādi (Telugu: ఉగాది, romanized: Ugādi), Yugādi (Sanskrit: युगादि, romanized: Yugādi, lit. 'beginning of the era. Yuga, meaning “era,” and Adi, meaning “beginning”', Kannada: ಯುಗಾದಿ, romanized: Yugādi) or also known as Saṁvatsarādi (Sanskrit: संवत्सरादि, romanized: Saṁvatsarādi, lit. 'beginning of the year. Samvat, meaning “era,” and Adi, meaning “beginning”'), is the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar. It is traditionally celebrated by the Kannadigas and Telugu people in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as by diaspora communities elsewhere.[1][2] The year is part of the traditional sixty-year cycle (known as the Samvatsara), with each having a unique Sanskrit name. The festival is observed on Chaitra Śukla Pratipadā, the first tithi (lunar day) of the waxing fortnight in the Hindu lunisolar month of Chaitra.[3] According to Brahma Purana, this day is marks Sṛṣṭyādi, the anniversary of the beginning of cosmic creation by Brahma.[4][5] In the Gregorian calendar, it typically falls in late March or early April which coincides with the beginning of the spring (Vasanta Ṛtu).[3]

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.[6][7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Ugadi has been an important and historic festival of the Hindus, with medieval texts and inscriptions recording major charitable donations to Hindu temples and community centers on this day.[10] The same day is observed as a New Year by Hindus in many other parts of India, such as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Goa, and is a national public holiday in Mauritius. It is also a public holiday in Indonesia as Hindu Saka New Year which celebrated widely in Bali as Nyepi.[11]

Etymology

[edit]

The term Ugadi is a Tadbhava (vernacular phonetic evolution) derived from Sanskrit compund Yugādi (युगादि), formed by Sandhi: yuga (period, cycle, or epoch) and ādi (commencement or origin). This translates to 'the beginning of new astronomical cycle or year'.[8][12] It is formally designated as Saṁvatsarādi (beginning of the Samvatsara).

Epigraphical records from the Chalukya dynasty, Kakatiya dynasty, and the Vijayanagara Empire show extensive royal grants, land endowments (dāna), and provisions for chattras (free feeding houses). These were done especially on Yugādi to honor and celebrate the commencement of new religious year.[13][14]

The Telugu people use the term Ugadi[15] (ఉగాది),[16] and the Kannadigas use the term Yugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ) for this festival.[17][18]

Practices

[edit]
Muggu (rangoli) arrangement in April 2009

The Kannada and Telugu communities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are required. The day begins early with ritual showers, rubbing the body with perfumed oil, followed by prayers.[7]

Ugadi Pacchadi (right) is a symbolic dish prepared by Hindu people during this festival

Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough clean.[7] People buy new clothes, including dhoti, and buy new items for the festival to decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves.[6] Mango leaves and coconuts are considered auspicious in the Hindu tradition, and they are used on Ugadi. People also clean the front of their house with water and cow dung paste, then draw colorful floral designs.[6] People offer prayers in temples. The celebration of Ugadi is marked by religious zeal and social merriment.[19][8][20][21] According to Vasudha Narayanan, a professor of religion at the University of Florida:[8]

Special dishes are prepared for the occasion. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, foods such as pulihora, bobbatlu (bhakshalu/polelu/oligale), New Year burelu and pachadi, and preparations made with raw mango go well with the occasion. In Karnataka, foods such as Holige or Obattu, mango pickles, and the sihi-kahi (Kannada: ಸಿಹಿ-ಕಹಿ) are made.

The most iconic preparation is Ugadi Pachadi in Telugu regions and bevu-bella in Karnataka. Ugadi pachadi incorporates ṣaḍruci (Sanskrit: षड्रुचि, the six primary tastes of ancient Indian philosophical tradition):

  • Bitter (tikta) from neem buds or flowers (vepapootha), representing sadness and difficulty;
  • Sweet (madhura) from jaggery, representing happiness and joy;
  • Pungent (katu) from green shilli or black pepper, representing anger or excitement;
  • Salty (lavaṇa) from salt, representing essential balance;
  • Sour (amla) from tamarind, representing challenges;
  • Astringent (kaṣāya) from raw mango chunks, representing surprise or anticipation.[22][23]

Beyond the philosophical symbolism, this reminds individuals to cultivate equanimity (samatva) toward varied experiences in one's life. This dish is also rooted in Ayurveda—consuming neem buds with raw mango and jaggery balances the bodily Doshas. This acts primarily to pacify kapha and pitta during sesonal transition to hot summer (Ṛtu sandhi).[24][25]

Pañcāṅga Śravaṇam

[edit]

A central religious rite of Ugadi is the Pañcāṅga Śravaṇam (listening to the reading of the traditional Panchanga almanac).[26] On the evening of Ugadi, families traditionally gather at temples, community halls, or homes. An astrologer, pandit or senior elder opens the new year's almanac and reads it as a ritual.

During this almanac reading, the five essential astronomical elements (pañcāṅga) of the day are read aloud: Tithi (lunar phase), Vāra (day of the week), Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Yoga (auspicious angle), and Karana (half-tithi). The reading also provides details on annual eclipses, the year's governing planetary cabinet (Navanāyaka), rainfall, forecasts for agriculture (Megha-phala), and the year's general spiritual and material outlook.[27]

[edit]

Maharashtran Hindus refer to the festival, observed on the same day, as Gudhi Padwa (Marathi: गुढी पाडवा).[28] The Sindhis celebrate the same day as Cheti Chand, which is the beginning of their calendar year.[29] Manipuris also celebrate their New Year as Sajibu Nongma Panba on the same day.[30]

The Hindus of Bali in Indonesia also celebrate their new year on the same day as Nyepi.[31]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  2. ↑ Karen-Marie Yust (2006). Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 228–229. ISBN 978-0-7425-4463-5.
  3. 1 2 Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  4. ↑ Sharma, Brijendra Nath (1978). Festivals of India. Abhinav Publications. pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-81-7017-078-5.
  5. ↑ Kane, Pandurang Vaman (1958). History of Dharmasastra. Vol. V, Part I. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. pp. 124–126.
  6. 1 2 3 Maithily Jagannathan (2005). South Indian Hindu Festivals and Traditions. Abhinav Publications. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-81-7017-415-8.
  7. 1 2 3 Jeaneane D. Fowler (1997). Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-1-898723-60-8.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Narayanan, Vasudha (1999). "Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time". Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies. 12 (1). Butler University: 17–18. doi:10.7825/2164-6279.1205.
  9. ↑ "Ugadi and Astronomy". Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers' Club. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  10. ↑ K.V. Raman (2003). Sri Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi: A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture. Abhinav Publications. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-81-7017-026-6.
  11. ↑ "Happy Ugadi 2026: Wishes, Messages, Quotes, Images, Greetings, Facebook & Whatsapp status". The Times of India. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  12. ↑ Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Clarendon Press. p. 854.
  13. ↑ Sircar, D. C. (1965). Indian Epigraphy. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 312–315. ISBN 978-8120811669.
  14. ↑ Verghese, Anila (1995). Religious Traditions at Vijayanagara: As Revealed Through Its Monuments. Manohar. pp. 45–48. ISBN 978-8173040863.
  15. ↑ "Hyderabad people celebrate Ugadi with food and family amid lockdown | Hyderabad News – Times of India". The Times of India. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Mar 31, TOI-Online. "Ugadi 2021 date, time and significance of Yugadi – Times of India". The Times of India. Times of india. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ ಸೋಹೋನಿ, ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ (15 March 2018). "ಯುಗಾದಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷ... ಏನಿದರ ಮಹತ್ವ?". kannada.oneindia.com (in Kannada). Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  18. ↑ "Ugadi Festival in Telugu | ఉగాది చరిత్ర విశిష్టత విధానం". www.intelugu.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings Archived 30 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514
  20. ↑ Neem - Ancient Tree, Modern Miracle, Warm Earth, National Library of Australia, No. 83, Mar/Apr 2009, pages 36-37
  21. ↑ Devagi Sanmugam; Shanmugam Kasinathan (2011). Indian Heritage Cooking. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-981-4435-08-6.
  22. ↑ Aiyangar, S. Krishnaswami (1942). Some Contributions of South India to Indian Culture. University of Calcutta. pp. 112–114.
  23. ↑ Achaya, K. T. (1994). Indian Food: A Historical Companion. Oxford University Press. pp. 98–100. ISBN 978-0195644166.
  24. ↑ Dash, Bhagwan (2002). Ayurvedic Curing to Common Diseases. Hind Pocket Books. pp. 31–33. ISBN 978-81-216-0044-6.
  25. ↑ Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514
  26. ↑ Underhill, Muriel Marion (1921). The Hindu Religious Year. Oxford University Press. pp. 38–40.
  27. ↑ Bhatt, R. K. (2000). Festivals and Rites of South India. Munshiram Manoharlal. pp. 82–85. ISBN 978-81-215-0955-8.
  28. ↑ "Share the love with a delectable Mavinakayi Chitranna recipe as you stay home this Gudi Padwa". The Economic Times. The economic Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  29. ↑ "Ugadi a time to rejoice". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 4 April 2005. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005.
  30. ↑ "Navratri, Gudi Padwa, Sajibu Cheiraoba, Ugadi geetings flood Twitter". The Statesman. 18 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  31. ↑ "Bali's Silent Nyepi and India's Ugadi - A Time for Introspection". Center for Soft Power. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
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