What is the Ugadi Festival?

Ugadi Festival 

The Ugadi Festival is New Years Day for the people of the southern part of India, or the Deccan plateau. It is observed by Hindus. 

The name Ugadi or Yugadi is derived from the Sanskrit words yuga and adi meaning age and beginning, "the beginning of a new age".

Yugadi refers to the start of the age of, Kali Yuga. Kali Yuga started the moment when Lord Krishna left the world.

It falls on a different day each year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar. This year is was observed on April 11th. I was in Bangalore, India which is a city in Karnataka a state within the Deccan plateau during the Ugadi Festival.

The Hindus of Bali and Indonesia celebrate their New Year on the same day as Nyepi.

Legend:

The popular legend associated with the festival is that the Lord Brahma started creation of the vast universe on the auspicious day of Ugadi or Chaitra suddha padhyami. Lord Brahma created the days, weeks, months and years in order to count time and then created all other elements present in the universe (http://www.karnataka.com/festivals/ugadi/).

Celebration:

Prior to Ugadi houses are thoroughly cleaned. In the past many people would purchase nice new clothes in celebration. This year I read in the Bangalore Times that purchasing new clothes, jewelry, and gifts were down significantly due financial problems. One article claimed the reason to be because of an increase in prices and no increase in wages. 

 

The day begins before dawn with ritual showers of oil baths and ritual mantras and chants. Then the front of the house around the front door and windows are decorated with strings of mango leaves. The mango leaves signify good health and harvest for the year. People also draw colorful floral designs.

Common Rituals are:

• Reflection in Ghee: Watching one’s reflection in a bowl of molten ghee.
• Enne (Oil) Shastra: Elderly women of the family applying kumkum to the younger members and performing arathi.
• Abhyang: Taking of oil bath by all members of the family.
• New Dresses: Wearing of new clothes by all family members.
• Abhyang for Gods: Giving oil bath to the idols of Gods.
• Offering flowers: Offering flowers of neem, mango and tamarind to the Gods.
• Offering Puja: Puja is offered following the steps of Abhisheka, Alankara, Naivedya and Mangalarathi.
• Panchanga Pooje: After worshipping God, Panchanga for the new Samvathsara or Year is worshipped.
• Gudi or Indra Dhwaja Pooje: Indra Dhwaja Pooje is done next.
• Front door decoration: Decorating the front door with Kemmannu (red earth), Rangoli and Mango leaves. Sometimes neem leaves are also used.
• Bevu Bella: Eating of jaggery  and neem together in this festival to mark the presence of sweet and sour events in life’s journey.
• Oota: Offering meals to God and then eating Oota or meals as Prasada.
• Visiting temples: Visiting temples and seeking blessings of the Almighty  (http://www.karnataka.com/festivals/ugadi/).

Throughout the day six different dishes are eaten.

In Karnataka the main item is a paste called Bevu Bella. It is made from jaggery, neem buds, tamarind juice and raw mango. The significance of this item is that it denotes all the tastes of life. The bitter, sweet and sour tastes each remind us the basic fact that life is a mixture of happy and sad events and we must remain ready to accept everything in life (http://www.karnataka.com/festivals/ugadi/).

The different dished symbolize the fact that life is a mixture of different experiences (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise), which should be accepted together and with equanimity through the New Year.

The special mixture consists of:

• Neem Buds/Flowers for its bitterness, signifying Sadness
• Jaggery and ripe banana pieces for sweetness, signifying Happiness
• Green Chilli/Pepper for its hot taste, signifying Anger
• Salt for saltiness, signifying Fear
• Tamarind Juice for its sourness, signifying Disgust
• Unripened Mango for its tang, signifying Surprise  
• Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi)

In addition to the rituals, the main way to celebrate the Ugadi is with family gatherings and visits to temples. The temples are also decorated with mango leaves and flowers such as jasmine.