UGADI FESTIVAL

What Is UGADI?

UGADI is a combination of two words-Yuga(era) and Aadi(beginning) according to the ancient language of Sanskrit and Kannada languages. It simply means beginning of an era or a new year. According to the great Indian mathematician,Bhaskaracharya's calculations in the 12 ^th century,it is the first day of the new moon after the Sun crosses from South to North on Spring Equinox. It marks the end of all things old,and new beginnings are looked forward to. Ugadi festival heralds both Spring and Hindu New Year.
Ugadi is celebrated with great fervour in the Deccan region of India. In the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,it is called Ugadi and in Maharashtra it is called Gudi Padwa. Ugadi day is therefore celebrated the next morning with the beginning of the sunrise which marks the beginning of the new year. The onset of spring also brings new leaves,shoots,fragrant and bright flowers,luscious fruits thus signifying new life. Growth, wellbeing and prosperity are signified by the vibrancy of new blossoms all round.
The mildly fragrant jasmine flowers are in full bloom and are strung together to be used to decorate hairbraids,and over doorways and offered as garlands for pujas(hindu rituals).The lillies-pink,red and white are everywhere.This is also the season for mangoes-orange and yellow, and melons-red and yellow.
Festivities include rituals and celebrations!Families get together to celebrate.

Preparations For Ugadi

All Hindus celebrate Chandramana Ugadi in the southern states of Maharashtra,Karnataka,and Andhra Pradesh.The festival food is the same and rituals same,the significance same but known by different names. Preparations begin one week in advance in most homes with Spring Cleaning and a fresh coat of paint for temples as well.

On Ugadi day,the Hindus wake up before dawn to see the sunrise and have an elaborate oil massage. Freshly picked neem leaves are immersed in hot water before taking bath.The front of the house gets a good wash and the lady of the house spends some time creating the perfect large rangoli(attractive floral pattern) for the occasion. She uses chalkpowder deftly between her fore finger and thumb to place specific number of dots on the floor and then joins then in different directions to form attractive patterns called rangoli.The spaces formed in beween are then filled with bright colours to make it vibrant. Mango leaves are strung together to form a "thorna" and hung across the top of the main doorway of the house,with a bunch of neem leaves at the ends. These are signs of welcome in a HIndu home. New clothes are worn and pujas are performed to the gods(family diety) in the puja room of their home. All prostrate before god and the elders in the home. The new Hindu calender (Panchanga)is opened and read for the first time in the new year.

Coconuts and mango leaves are important for the puja rituals.