March 22nd 2023.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Delighted Ugadi to all!
Happy Ugadi 2023! The opening day of Chaitra Navratri is ultimately here. This festival, which is celebrated today, holds an essential place in Hindu tradition — but what is it all about, and how is it celebrated? Here is everything you require to know about Ugadi and its customs.
What is Ugadi?
Ugadi, also known as Yugadi, is a festival commemorating New Year's Day for Hindus from the Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana states of India. The term Ugadi denotes 'start of a new era', and the festival is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra. It usually takes place in the months of March or April — with 2023 falling on March 22 — with the date altering according to the date of the first New Moon after the March equinox.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) The gudi symbolizes a divine tool against all negative vibes and to welcome wealth, fortune, and health
How is Ugadi observed?
Preparations for the festival start a week earlier due to the amount of food and decorations involved. Homes are also cleaned thoroughly. Fresh mango leaves are put up around front doors for good luck. People also purchase new clothes for the festival, smatter the front of their houses with vibrant designs and utilize coconuts as decorations.
On the day itself, families will initiate by showering and covering themselves in aromatic 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 flavours to reflect the varied experiences of the upcoming year. Bobbattu, which is a kind of poli bread, is eaten with ghee or coconut in Telangana. In Karnataka a special dish called obbattu, or Holige, is prepared which involves sweet jaggery jam being stuffed in a flat roti-like bread and dipped in milk.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) On Ugadi, a gudi is erected outside the house; this is a bamboo staff with leaves, a garland of flowers and an inverted pot. The gudi symbolises a celestial tool against all negative vibes and to usher prosperity, fortune, and health into the home.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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