In the Deccan, Ugadi, or the New Year, have several names, such as Yugadi and Gudi Padwa. It is a festival of day-long celebrations. People start new businesses during Ugadi because it is considered a lucky time. Continue reading to learn more about the festival.
The Hindu calendar determines the Ugadi 2024 date in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Ugadi is the South Indian New Year (Lunar New Year), which ushers in the spring season. The date for Ugadi 2024 is April 9th. On April 9, 2024, Shubhakrutha Nama Samvatsara begins. People will celebrate Ugadi on April 9th in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Ugadi (yuga and adi) is an astronomical term that refers to starting a new cycle.
Let's know about the Importance Of Ugadi 2024 in a little more detail.
This day is enthusiastically celebrated and regarded as the start of the harvest season. Ugadi also marks the beginning of spring and harvest season. According to popular belief, Ugadi has a long history of being associated with mythology. On Ugadi day, according to religion, Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe. He devised days, weeks, months, and years to keep track of time. As a result, Ugadi is considered the first day of the universe's creation.
The festival of Ugadi has a lot of meaning in people's lives, which comes from ancient beliefs and rituals. The fact that people celebrate Ugadi with much zeal and enthusiasm proves that it is still relevant in today's world.
On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Ugadi will be celebrated.
Ugadi falls on the first day of Chaitra, the Hindu calendar's first month. As a result, Chandramana Ugadi is another name for this day. It refers to the commencement of the Hindu Lunar calendar's New Year, usually in March or April (as per the Gregorian calendar).
This auspicious day is marked by religious observances and the presence of visitors. During the months leading up to Chaitra, it is usual for individuals to shop a lot. So, this festival marks an occasion of great zeal and enthusiasm.
There are numerous preparations made to celebrate the festival. Practices usually begin a few days ahead of time.
For the event, people clean and wash their homes.
On that day, new garments are purchased to be worn.
They prepare one-of-a-kind cuisines to serve that day, that often have people’s mouths watering in anticipation.To begin the festivities, the entire household wakes up before morning, takes a head bath, massages the whole body with sesame oil, and dresses in new, traditional attire.
The gods and goddesses' idols in the house are then bathed in oil, followed by prayers and offerings of neem flowers, mango, and tamarind.Rangolis or Kolams are drawn in front of houses, and mango leaves strung together are used to decorate the doors and windows.
Then Andhra Pradesh's famous 'Ugadi Pachadi' is prepared. It is known as the 'Bevu Bella' in Karnataka.The "Panchanga Sravanam" — the year's predictions – is an essential event on this day. Temples, as well as cultural and social organizations, arrange it.
The Ugadi Pachadi dish served on the day is a one-of-a-kind dish that combines six distinct flavors ranging from sweet to bitter. Ugadi Pachadi ingredients are jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, neem flowers, salt, and green chili. On Ugadi day, this is the first dish that people eat.
Ugadi Pachadi has an important symbolic significance, implying that life is full of a variety of sweet and bitter events. As a result, each person should learn to accept and move on from their own experiences.
In some places, jaggery combined with neem leaves is served instead of Ugadi Pachadi. The bitterness of neem leaves and the sweetness of jaggery represent happiness and sadness in life. Kannadigas are more fond of this.
The Vasant Ritu, or the beginning of spring, is marked by Ugadi. After the New Year, farmers wait for the first rain before plowing and starting the next farming cycle.
The celebration honors the rebirth of nature. Tender leaves begin to emerge on all trees. The markets are brimming with a variety of fruits. Neem trees, in particular, are beginning to bloom.
Ugadi is said to be the best time to start a new business. House warming, beginning the construction of new homes, signing essential paperwork, and making purchases are made on Ugadi as an auspicious day.
The day is a sign of hope. It is a day to forget about the unpleasant things that happened the previous year.
Man is subject to a wide range of difficulties and misfortunes. On Ugadi, we consume the bitter flowers of the neem tree to remind ourselves of this, which means we accept the bitterness of life on the first day of the year. We chew sugarcane during the Pongal ceremony, held almost every year near the end of the year.
If we only have sweetness at first, we may have to deal with bitterness in the future. We must not have any objection to bitterness but rather accept it as Mother Nature's or dharma's medicine. If we do so, we will eventually come to see every experience, no matter how terrible, as a sweet one.
Some of the significant rituals linked with Ugadi at Tirupati Temple are Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam, Ugadi Asthanam, and Panchanga Sravanam.
On this day, Maharashtrians celebrate Gudi Padwa (this year, on April 9, 2024).
For south Indians, Ugadi is significant because of its religious and spiritual significance. This occasion symbolizes a new beginning and a fresh start that will brighten one's life.
Astroyogi wishes you all a very Happy Ugadi!