Happy Ugaadi 2024

Courtesy: www.blog.onlineprasad.com

Based on the Lunar Calendar, people in the South / Western India celebrate their New Year festival. Ugadi is celebrated on Suddha Padyami day of Chaitra Masam i.e on the 1st day after the moon-less night (amavasya) in the Hindu month of Chaitra.

The same day is celebrated as traditional New Year in different regions of the country and is known by different names in the regional languages. This year (2020) Ugaadi is celebrated on March 25th (Wednesday) by the Telugu people, Yugaadi by Kannada / Konkani people, Gudi Padwa by Marathi people, Cheti Chand by Sindhis and Thapna by Marwaris. The Telugu name of this year (2020) is Sri Saarvari Nama Samvatsaram which repeats once in 60 years. Ugadi is basically a spring festival.

Well, there is nothing special to mention about the significance of Ugaadi, as there is much of information available on the same in several media. The tides of time continue their cycle in this world. With the change in time, everything in the world changes and so also the way of celebrating a festival. Change in this world is evident.

Courtesy: Google Images

The way Ugadi used to be celebrated in the olden days was really special and was enjoyed with true spirit. If we look into the glorious past, Ugaadi was celebrated as a spring festival. Mother Nature looked fresh with the new blooms and blossoms of spring season. It was a time when Mother Earth used to be cool and looked beautiful with the colorful spring blooms all around.

The cuckoo bird i.e koyal used to sing melodiously with its sweet voice. It was a time for family gathering and real enjoyment. A time when the village young girls used to beautifully dress themselves in the traditional attire and enjoy plucking fresh raw mangoes from the mango trees in their backyard. There was much of laughter and fun in every household and there was a stress-free / tension-free life in those days. The elderly ladies of the house were busy preparing special Ugadi delicacies and Ugadi pachchadi - a special dish prepared only on Ugaadi day with 6 different tastes called Shadruchulu in Telugu. Mainly it's a combination of sweet, bitter and sour taste besides three other tastes.

There are several satires / jokes in connection with Ugadi Pachchadi and most of people don't like to taste this special dish due to its bitter and sour taste that dominates. Keeping the jokes apart, the Ugaddi Platter is worth mentioning which is served in an eco-friendly way. Yes, in a plantain leaf and full of mouth-watering Andhra special delicacies.

Courtesy: Google Images

A sumptuous meal in the noon which was a fully balanced diet with a fruit to relish used to be served in an eco-friendly manner. No dinner tables those days. Even elderly people used to sit on the floor and having their meals. After a heavy meal, all the members of the family used to have an afternoon nap. And in the evenings, all the family members used to visit the nearby temple to listen to the Panchanga Pathanam by the temple priests.

Courtesy: Google Images

Things have change a lot and the present generation is missing this wonderful way of celebrating Ugadi. Life has become too hectic and people are busy in their own way staying far far away from their family. In addition to their ever-busy life, even there is lot of change in the environment due to global warming. Ugaadi no more remains a spring festival but it has become a summer festival. Yes, since the end of March this year, the mercury levels are rising higher and it is already terrible summer in many regions with the temperature recording almost 42 degrees.

The sweet voice of the cuckoo bird is nowhere to be heard. Mango have almost become ripe for reasons better known to all. Could it be possible to revive the glorious past? People who are much used to the busy life style, can they get back to such a life? It remains a question that unanswered. No doubt, everyone likes the lifestyle of the olden days but when it comes to practicality, they find it difficult to come out of their comfort zones.

Anyway, let's have a wonderful Ugaadi, Yugaadi and Gudi Padwa this year on March 25th, 2020 (Wednesday).

Courtesy: Google Images