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{{see also|Indian New Year's days}}
{{short description|Kannada and Telugu Hindu New Year}}
{{For|other traditions of celebrating the lunar new year|Lunar New Year}}
{{Other uses}}
{{short description|Telugu and Kannada Hindu new year festival}}
{{For|other traditions|Indian New Year's days|Lunar New Year}}
 
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox holiday
{{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name  = Ugadi
| holiday_name  = Ugadi
|image = A Happy Ugadi puja tray Telugu Hindu New Year Vaisakhi.jpg
| official_name = {{lang|te|ఉగాది}} (Telugu)<br />{{lang|kn|ಯುಗಾದಿ}} (Kannada)
|caption=Ugadi Pachadi with New Year prayer [[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] tray
| image         = A Happy Ugadi puja tray Telugu Hindu New Year Vaisakhi.jpg
|type = Hindu
| caption       = Ugadi Pachadi with puja tray
|nickname      = Yugadi, Samvatsaradi<br/>{{nowrap| [[Telugu people|Telugu]] and [[Kannada people|Kannada]] New Year}}
| type         = Hindu
|observedby    = [[Hindus]] in [[Telangana]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]]
| nickname      = Samvatsaradi, Yugadi
|begins        = 1st day of [[Chaitra]]
| observedby    = [[Telugu people|Telugu]] and [[Kannadiga]] Hindus
|date          = March (generally), April (occasionally)
| date2025      = 30 March (Sunday)
|longtype      = Religious (Hindu), social, cultural
| date2026      = 19 March (Thursday)
|frequency    = Annual
| longtype      = Religious (Hindu), social, cultural
|celebrations  = Muggu-Rangoli, visiting Temples, Feast with Holige and Bevu Bella
| frequency    = Annual
|relatedto    = [[Puthandu]], [[Gudi Padwa]], and other regional Hindu New Year's days
| celebrations  = [[Kolam|Muggu/Rangoli]], visiting Temples, Feast with [[Obbattu|Bobbattu]], [[Holige]] and [[Bevu Bella]]
|alt=|official_name=|litcolor=|significance=|ends=|weekday=|month=|scheduling=|duration=|firsttime=|startedby=|date2021=Tues, 13 April in India, Mon, 12 April in USA <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/yugadi/yugadi-newyear-date.html?geoname-id=1277333&year=2021 |title=2021 Ugadi for Bengaluru, Karnataka |website=Drikpanchang: Hindu Calendar for the World |access-date=16 March 2020}}</ref>}}
| relatedto    = [[Gudi Padwa]], [[Cheti Chand]], [[Navreh]]
}}
{{Hindu festival date info}}
{{Hinduism}}
{{Hinduism}}
[[File:ఉగాది పచ్చడి.jpg|Ugadi Pachadi|thumb|right]]
[[File:ఉగాది పచ్చడి.jpg|Ugadi Pachadi|thumb|right]]
'''Ugadi''' or '''Yugadi''', also known as '''Samvatsarādi''' ({{lit|Beginning of the Year}}), is the New Year's Day for the [[States of India|states]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]], and [[Karnataka]] in [[India]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Karen-Marie Yust|title=Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_dWh0l-iXHUC&pg=PA228|year=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-4463-5|pages=228–229}}</ref> It is festively observed in these regions on the first day of the Hindu [[lunisolar calendar]] month of [[Chaitra]].<ref name=dalal427>{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|page=427}}</ref> This typically falls in April month of the Gregorian calendar.<ref name=dalal427/>
'''{{transliteration|te|Ugādi|italic=no}}''' ({{langx|te|ఉగాది|Ugādi}}), '''{{transliteration|kn|Yugādi|italic=no}}''' ({{langx|sa|युगादि|Yugādi|beginning of the era. [[Yuga]], meaning “era,” and [[Adi]], meaning “beginning”}}, {{langx|kn|ಯುಗಾದಿ|Yugādi}}) or also known as '''Saṁvatsarādi''' ({{langx|sa|संवत्सरादि|Saṁvatsarādi|beginning of the year. [[Samvat]], meaning “era,” and [[Adi]], meaning “beginning”}}), is the first day of the year on the [[Hindu calendar]]. It is traditionally celebrated by the [[Kannadigas]] and [[Telugu people]] in the Indian states of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]] and [[Telangana]], in some parts of [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]], as well as by [[South Indian diaspora|diaspora]] communities elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&q=ugadi |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2010 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-341421-6 |pages=427 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Karen-Marie Yust|title=Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_dWh0l-iXHUC&pg=PA228|year=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-4463-5|pages=228–229}}</ref> The cycle consists of 60 years—each year individually named. It is observed on the first day of the Hindu [[lunisolar calendar]] month of [[Chaitra]].<ref name="dalal427">{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|page=427}}</ref> This typically falls in late March or early April of the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref name="dalal427" /> It also sometimes falls on the day after Amavasya with the 27th Nakshatra Revati. Ugadi Day is pivoted on the first new moon after the [[March equinox]].


The day is observed by drawing colourful patterns on the floor called ''[[kolam|Muggulu]]'', mango leaf decorations on doors called ''torana'', buying and giving gifts such as new clothes, giving charity to the poor, oil massage followed by special bath, preparing and sharing a special food called ''pachadi'', and visiting Hindu temples.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/><ref name="Fowler1997p72">{{cite book|author=Jeaneane D. Fowler|title=Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmGKHu20hA0C&pg=PA72|year=1997|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-898723-60-8|pages=72–73}}</ref> The ''pachadi'' is a notable festive food that combines all flavors sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and [[piquance|piquant]]. In Telugu and Kannada Hindu traditions, it is a symbolic reminder that one must expect all flavors of experiences in the coming new year and make the most of them.<ref name=narayanan18/>
The day is observed by drawing colourful patterns on the floor called ''[[kolam|Muggulu/Rangoli]]'', mango leaf decorations on doors called ''torana'', buying and giving gifts such as new clothes, giving charity to the poor, oil massages followed by special baths, preparing and sharing a special food called ''pachadi'', and visiting Hindu temples.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/><ref name="Fowler1997p72">{{cite book|author=Jeaneane D. Fowler|title=Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmGKHu20hA0C&pg=PA72|year=1997|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-898723-60-8|pages=72–73}}</ref> The ''pachadi'' is a notable festive food that combines all [[Taste|flavors]] {{endash}} sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and piquant. In Kannada and Telugu harvest traditions, it is a symbolic reminder that one must expect all flavors of experiences in the coming new year and make the most of them.<ref name=narayanan18/> Followers of the Souramana calendar system observe Ugadi in [[Karnataka]], when the sun transits into the [[Aries (constellation)|Aries]] constellation, which is also the festival of [[Baisakhi]] and is locally known as Souramana Ugadi or [[Mesha Sankranti]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ugadi and Astronomy |url=https://paac.ppc.ac.in/2022/04/01/ugadi-and-astronomy/ |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers' Club |language=en-US |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015153355/https://paac.ppc.ac.in/2022/04/01/ugadi-and-astronomy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


Ugadi has been an important and historic festival of the Hindus, with medieval texts and inscriptions recording major charitable donations to Hindu temples and community centers on this day.<ref>{{cite book|author=K.V. Raman|title=Sri Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi: A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=myK8ZYEIu4YC&pg=PA97|year=2003|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-026-6|pages=97–98}}</ref> The same day is observed as a New Year by Hindus in many other parts of India, such as [[Puthandu]] in [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Gudi Padwa]] in [[Maharashtra]].<!--, but sometimes observed a Gregorian day earlier because the lunar day starts and ends in Hindu calendar according to the position of the moon. In Karnataka, the festival is celebrated as Yugadi-->
Ugadi has been an important and historic festival of the Hindus, with medieval texts and inscriptions recording major charitable donations to Hindu temples and community centers on this day.<ref>{{cite book|author=K.V. Raman|title=Sri Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi: A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=myK8ZYEIu4YC&pg=PA97|year=2003|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-026-6|pages=97–98}}</ref> The same day is observed as a New Year by Hindus in many other parts of India, such as [[Gudi Padwa]] in [[Maharashtra]], [[Goa]],<!--, but sometimes observed a Gregorian day earlier because the lunar day starts and ends in Hindu calendar according to the position of the moon. In Karnataka, the festival is celebrated as Yugadi.--> and is a national public holiday in [[Mauritius]]. It is also a public holiday in [[Indonesia]] as Hindu Saka New Year which celebrated widely in [[Bali]] as [[Nyepi]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Happy Ugadi 2026: Wishes, Messages, Quotes, Images, Greetings, Facebook & Whatsapp status |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/events/happy-ugadi-2023-wishes-messages-quotes-images-facebook-whatsapp-status/articleshow/98863253.cms |access-date=17 March 2026 |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=18 March 2026}}</ref>


== Terminology ==
== Etymology ==
The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] words ''yuga'' (age) and ''ādi'' (beginning): "the beginning of a new age".<ref name=narayanan18/> Yugadi or Ugadi falls on "''Chaitra Shudhdha Paadyami''" or the first day of the bright half of the Indian month of [[Chaitra]]. This generally falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar.<ref name=dalal427/><ref name="Jagannathan2005p77">{{cite book|author=Maithily Jagannathan|title=South Indian Hindu Festivals and Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcIrkKUJH9QC&pg=PA77 |year=2005|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-415-8|pages=77–78}}</ref>
The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] words ''[[yuga]]'' (era) and ''[[Adi|ādi]]'' (beginning): "the beginning of a new era."<ref name=narayanan18/> Yugadi or Ugadi falls on "''Chaitra Shudhdha Padyami''," or the first day of the bright half of the Indian month of [[Chaitra]]. This generally falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar.<ref name=dalal427/><ref name="Jagannathan2005p77">{{cite book|author=Maithily Jagannathan|title=South Indian Hindu Festivals and Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcIrkKUJH9QC&pg=PA77 |year=2005|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-415-8|pages=77–78}}</ref>


The [[Kannadiga]] people use the term Yugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ) and the [[Telugu people]] use the term Ugadi<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mar 25 |first1=TNN / Updated |title=Hyderabad people celebrate Ugadi with food and family amid lockdown {{!}} Hyderabad News – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/people-celebrate-ugadi-with-food-and-family-in-hyderabad/articleshow/74807558.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> (ఉగాది)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mar 31 |first1=TOI-Online |title=Ugadi 2021 date, time and significance of Yugadi – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/festivals/ugadi-2021-date-time-and-significance-of-yugadi/articleshow/81773856.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |publisher=Times of india |language=en}}</ref> for this festival.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ಸೋಹೋನಿ|first=ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ|date=2018-03-15|title=ಯುಗಾದಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷ... ಏನಿದರ ಮಹತ್ವ?|url=https://kannada.oneindia.com/festivals/ugadi/significance-and-importance-of-ugadi-festival-136802.html|access-date=2021-04-13|website=kannada.oneindia.com|language=kn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ugadi Festival in Telugu {{!}} ఉగాది చరిత్ర విశిష్టత విధానం|url=https://www.intelugu.net/ugadi/|access-date=2021-04-13|website=www.intelugu.net}}</ref>
The Telugu people use the term Ugadi<ref>{{cite news |date=March 25, 2020 |title=Hyderabad people celebrate Ugadi with food and family amid lockdown {{!}} Hyderabad News – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/people-celebrate-ugadi-with-food-and-family-in-hyderabad/articleshow/74807558.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> (ఉగాది),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mar 31 |first1=TOI-Online |title=Ugadi 2021 date, time and significance of Yugadi – Times of India |language=en |work=The Times of India |publisher=Times of india |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/festivals/ugadi-2021-date-time-and-significance-of-yugadi/articleshow/81773856.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411112928/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/festivals/ugadi-2021-date-time-and-significance-of-yugadi/articleshow/81773856.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Kannadigas]] use the term Yugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ) for this festival.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ಸೋಹೋನಿ|first=ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ|date=2018-03-15|title=ಯುಗಾದಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷ... ಏನಿದರ ಮಹತ್ವ?|url=https://kannada.oneindia.com/festivals/ugadi/significance-and-importance-of-ugadi-festival-136802.html|access-date=2021-04-13|website=kannada.oneindia.com|language=kn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ugadi Festival in Telugu {{!}} ఉగాది చరిత్ర విశిష్టత విధానం|url=https://www.intelugu.net/ugadi/|access-date=2021-04-13|website=www.intelugu.net|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413031854/https://www.intelugu.net/ugadi/|url-status=live}}</ref>


== Practices ==
== Practices ==
[[File:Waterangoli.jpg|thumb|Muggu (rangoli) arrangement in April 2009]]
[[File:Waterangoli.jpg|thumb|Muggu (rangoli) arrangement in April 2009]]
The Kannada, Kodava, Telugu and the Tulu diaspora in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]], [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]] celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are 'de rigueur'. The day begins early with ritual showers, rubbing the body with perfumed oil, followed by prayers.<ref name="Fowler1997p72"/>
The Kannada and Telugu communities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are required. The day begins early with ritual showers, rubbing the body with perfumed oil, followed by prayers.<ref name="Fowler1997p72"/>
 
[[File:Ugadi Pacchadi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Ugadi Pacchadi (right) is a symbolic dish prepared by Hindu people during this festival]]
Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough clean.<ref name="Fowler1997p72"/> People buy new clothes, including dhoti, and buy new items for the festival to decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/> Mango leaves and coconuts are considered auspicious in the Hindu tradition, and they are used on Ugadi. People also clean the front of their house with water and cow dung paste, then draw colorful floral designs.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/> People offer prayers in temples. The celebration of Ugadi is marked by religious zeal and social merriment.<ref>[[Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi]] 91977), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2741405 Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330015239/http://www.jstor.org/stable/2741405 |date=30 March 2017 }}, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514</ref><ref name=narayanan18>{{cite journal | last=Narayanan | first=Vasudha | title=Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time | journal=Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies | publisher=Butler University | volume=12 | issue=1 | year=1999| pages=17–18 | doi=10.7825/2164-6279.1205 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ancient Tree 2009, pages 36-37">Neem - Ancient Tree, Modern Miracle, Warm Earth, National Library of Australia, No. 83, Mar/Apr 2009, pages 36-37</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Devagi Sanmugam|author2=Shanmugam Kasinathan|title=Indian Heritage Cooking|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQWJAAAAQBAJ |year=2011|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-981-4435-08-6|pages=96–97}}</ref> According to Vasudha Narayanan, a professor of religion at the University of Florida:<ref name="narayanan182" />


[[File:Ugadi Pacchadi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Ugadi Pacchadi (right) is a symbolic dish prepared by Hindu people on this festival]]
Special dishes are prepared for the occasion. In [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]], foods such as pulihora, bobbatlu (bhakshalu/polelu/oligale), New Year burelu and pachadi, and preparations made with raw mango go well with the occasion. Of these, ''pachadi'' (or ''Ugadi pacchadi'') is the most notable and consists of a chutney-like dish that combines all six flavours of food: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, and astringent.<ref>Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2741405 Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings], Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514</ref> This festive Hindu food is made from tamarind paste (sour), neem flowers (bitter), brown sugar or sweet jaggery (sweet), table salt (salty), green chili (spicy), and raw mango (astringent). It is a symbolic reminder of complex phases of life one should reasonably expect in the new year.<ref name="narayanan182">{{cite journal|last=Narayanan|first=Vasudha|year=1999|title=Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time|journal=Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies|publisher=Butler University|volume=12|issue=1|pages=17–18|doi=10.7825/2164-6279.1205|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Ancient Tree 2009, pages 36-37"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQWJAAAAQBAJ|title=Indian Heritage Cooking|author1=Devagi Sanmugam|author2=Shanmugam Kasinathan|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2011|isbn=978-981-4435-08-6|pages=96–97}}</ref>
Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough clean.<ref name="Fowler1997p72"/> People buy new clothes and Dhoti and buy new items for the festival, decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/> Mango leaves and coconuts are considered auspicious in the Hindu tradition, and they are used on Ugadi. People also clean the front of their house with water and cow dung paste, then draw colorful floral designs.<ref name="Jagannathan2005p77"/> People offer prayer in temples. The celebration of Ugadi is marked by religious zeal and social merriment.<ref>[[Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi]] 91977), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2741405 Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings], Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514</ref><ref name=narayanan18>{{cite journal | last=Narayanan | first=Vasudha | title=Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time | journal=Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies | publisher=Butler University | volume=12 | issue=1 | year=1999| pages=17–18 | doi=10.7825/2164-6279.1205 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ancient Tree 2009, pages 36-37">Neem - Ancient Tree, Modern Miracle, Warm Earth, National Library of Australia, No. 83, Mar/Apr 2009, pages 36-37</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Devagi Sanmugam|author2=Shanmugam Kasinathan|title=Indian Heritage Cooking|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQWJAAAAQBAJ |year=2011|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-981-4435-08-6|pages=96–97}}</ref>
According to Vasudha Narayanan, a professor of Religion at the University of Florida:<ref name="narayanan182" />
<blockquote style="background-color:none;margin-right:5em;margin-left:0em;border-left:solid 6px #FFE0BB;padding:1.0em">
The pacchadi festive dish symbolically reminds the people that the following year – as all of life – will consist of not just sweet experiences, but a combination of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter episodes. Just as the different substances are bound together, one is reminded that no event or episode is wholly good or bad. Even in the midst of bitter experiences, there are sweet moments. One is also reminded that the experience of taste is transitory and ephemeral; so too, is life, and one has to learn to put pain and pleasure in proper temporal perspective.<ref name=narayanan18/>
</blockquote>


Special dishes are prepared for the occasion.In Karnataka etables olige, vobattu and mango pickles are made .In [[Andhra Pradesh]] eatables such as "pulihora, bobbatlu (Bhakshalu/ polelu/ oligale), New Year Burelu and Pachadi" and preparations made with raw mango go well with the occasion. Of these, ''pachadi'' (or ''Ugadi pacchadi'') is the most notable, and consists of a chutney-like dish which combines ingredients to give all six flavors of food (''షడ్రుచులు - ṣaḍruculu'') : sweet (''తీపి - tīpi''), sour (''పులుపు - pulupu''), salty (''ఉప్పు - uppu''), pungent (''కారం - kāraṁ''), bitter (''చేదు - cēdu'') and [[Astringent (taste)|astringent]] (''వగరు'' - ''vagaru'').<ref>Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2741405 Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings], Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514</ref> This festive Hindu food is made from tamarind paste (sour), neem flowers (bitter), brown sugar or sweet jaggery (sweet), table salt (salt), green chilli (pungent) and raw mango (astringent). It is a symbolic reminder of complex phases of life one should reasonably expect in the new year.<ref name="narayanan182">{{cite journal|last=Narayanan|first=Vasudha|year=1999|title=Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time|journal=Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies|publisher=Butler University|volume=12|issue=1|pages=17–18|doi=10.7825/2164-6279.1205|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Ancient Tree 2009, pages 36-37"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQWJAAAAQBAJ|title=Indian Heritage Cooking|author1=Devagi Sanmugam|author2=Shanmugam Kasinathan|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2011|isbn=978-981-4435-08-6|pages=96–97}}</ref><!-- In Kannada, the greeting is Yugadi Habbada Shubhaashayagalu - ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು ("Greetings for the festival of Yugadi") or Hosa varshada shubhashayagalu - ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು ("Greetings on the New Year"). [citation needed]
In [[Karnataka]], foods such as Holige or Obattu and mango pickles are made. In addition, a speciality of Yugadi in Karnataka is to create "bevu bella" a mixture of neem and jaggery, to signify both the sweet and the bitter, or the sihi-kahi(ಸಿಹಿ-ಕಹಿ). This symbolizes life's own experiences with a bit of bitterness and a hint of sweetness.<!-- In Kannada, the greeting is Yugadi Habbada Shubhaashayagalu - ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು ("Greetings for the festival of Yugadi") or Hosa varshada shubhashayagalu - ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು ("Greetings on the New Year").{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}


In Telugu, the traditional greetings for Ugadi are kroththa yeta, ugadi panduga, palukarimpulu or ugadi subhaakankshalu – "క్రొత్త ఏట" / "ఉగాది పండుగ" పలుకరింపులు, లేదా ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు ("Greetings for the festival of Ugadi") and Nutana samvastara shubhaakankshalu -నూతన సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు ("Greetings on the New Year"). [citation needed] -->
In Telugu, the traditional greetings for Ugadi are kroththa yeta, ugadi panduga, palukarimpulu or ugadi subhaakankshalu – "క్రొత్త ఏట" / "ఉగాది పండుగ" పలుకరింపులు, లేదా ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు ("Greetings for the festival of Ugadi") and Nutana samvastara shubhaakankshalu -నూతన సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు ("Greetings on the New Year").{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} -->


==Related festivals==
==Related festivals==
The Hindu [[Tamils]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Singapore]] and the [[Tamil diaspora]] celebrate [[Puthandu]], or Tamil New Year, on 14 April.<ref>{{Cite web|title=5 interesting facts of Puthandu or the Tamil New Year|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/5-interesting-facts-of-puthandu-or-the-tamil-new-year/576858|access-date=2021-04-13|website=www.timesnownews.com|language=en}}</ref>
[[Maharashtra]]n Hindus refer to the festival, observed on the same day, as Gudhi Padwa ({{langx|mr|गुढी पाडवा}}).<ref>{{cite news |title=Share the love with a delectable Mavinakayi Chitranna recipe as you stay home this Gudi Padwa |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/share-the-love-with-a-delectable-mavinakayi-chitranna-recipe-as-you-stay-home-this-gudi-padwa/articleshow/74807075.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The Economic Times |publisher=The economic Times}}</ref> The [[Sindhis]] celebrate the same day as [[Cheti Chand]], which is the beginning of their calendar year.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/04/stories/2005040402650300.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406060740/http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/04/stories/2005040402650300.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=6 April 2005 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Ugadi a time to rejoice | date=4 April 2005}}</ref> [[Meitei people|Manipuris]] also celebrate their New Year as [[Sajibu nongma panba|Sajibu Nongma Panba]] on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-18|title=Navratri, Gudi Padwa, Sajibu Cheiraoba, Ugadi geetings flood Twitter|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/navratri-gudi-padwa-sajibu-cheiraoba-ugadi-geetings-flood-twitter-1502603827.html|access-date=2021-04-13|website=The Statesman|language=en-US|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413032117/https://www.thestatesman.com/india/navratri-gudi-padwa-sajibu-cheiraoba-ugadi-geetings-flood-twitter-1502603827.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The Hindus of [[Maharashtra]] term the same festival, observed on the same day, [[Gudi Padwa]] ({{lang-mr|गुढी पाडवा}}).<ref>{{cite news |title=Share the love with a delectable Mavinakayi Chitranna recipe as you stay home this Gudi Padwa |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/share-the-love-with-a-delectable-mavinakayi-chitranna-recipe-as-you-stay-home-this-gudi-padwa/articleshow/74807075.cms |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The Economic Times |publisher=The economic Times}}</ref>
 
The Sindhis, people from [[Sindh]], celebrate the same day as [[Cheti Chand]], which is the beginning of their calendar year.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/04/stories/2005040402650300.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406060740/http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/04/stories/2005040402650300.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=6 April 2005 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Ugadi a time to rejoice | date=4 April 2005}}</ref>
 
[[Meitei people|Manipuris]] also celebrate their New Year as [[Sajibu nongma panba|Sajibu Nongma Panba]] on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-18|title=Navratri, Gudi Padwa, Sajibu Cheiraoba, Ugadi geetings flood Twitter|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/navratri-gudi-padwa-sajibu-cheiraoba-ugadi-geetings-flood-twitter-1502603827.html|access-date=2021-04-13|website=The Statesman|language=en-US}}</ref>


The Hindus of [[Bali]] in [[Indonesia]] also celebrate their new year on the same day as [[Nyepi]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-03-24|title=Bali's Silent Nyepi and India's Ugadi - A Time for Introspection|url=https://www.softpowermag.com/balis-silent-nyepi-and-indias-ugadi-a-time-for-introspection/|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Center for Soft Power|language=en-US}}</ref>
The Hindus of [[Bali]] in [[Indonesia]] also celebrate their new year on the same day as [[Nyepi]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-03-24|title=Bali's Silent Nyepi and India's Ugadi - A Time for Introspection|url=https://www.softpowermag.com/balis-silent-nyepi-and-indias-ugadi-a-time-for-introspection/|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Center for Soft Power|language=en-US}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Hindu calendar]]
* [[Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar]]
* [[Hindu units of time]]
* [[Hindu units of time]]
* [[Yuga]]
* [[Yuga]]
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{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}


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[[Category:Observances in India]]
[[Category:Observances in India]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in India]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in India]]
[[Category:Spring (season) events in India]]
[[Category:New Year celebrations]]

Latest revision as of 15:25, 27 March 2026



Ugadi
Ugadi Pachadi with puja tray
Official nameఉగాది (Telugu)
ಯುಗಾದಿ (Kannada)
Also calledSamvatsaradi, Yugadi
Observed byTelugu and Kannadiga Hindus
TypeReligious (Hindu), social, cultural
CelebrationsMuggu/Rangoli, visiting Temples, Feast with Bobbattu, Holige and Bevu Bella
2025 date30 March (Sunday)
2026 date19 March (Thursday)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toGudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navreh
Explanatory note
Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. Iff a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.
Ugadi Pachadi

Ugādi (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), Yugādi (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) or also known as Saṁvatsarādi (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), is the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar. It is traditionally celebrated by the Kannadigas and Telugu people in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as by diaspora communities elsewhere.[1][2] The cycle consists of 60 years—each year individually named. It is observed on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra.[3] This typically falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar.[3] It also sometimes falls on the day after Amavasya with the 27th Nakshatra Revati. Ugadi Day is pivoted on the first new moon after the March equinox.

The day is observed by drawing colourful patterns on the floor called Muggulu/Rangoli, mango leaf decorations on doors called torana, buying and giving gifts such as new clothes, giving charity to the poor, oil massages followed by special baths, preparing and sharing a special food called pachadi, and visiting Hindu temples.[4][5] The pachadi is a notable festive food that combines all flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and piquant. In Kannada and Telugu harvest traditions, it is a symbolic reminder that one must expect all flavors of experiences in the coming new year and make the most of them.[6] Followers of the Souramana calendar system observe Ugadi in Karnataka, when the sun transits into the Aries constellation, which is also the festival of Baisakhi and is locally known as Souramana Ugadi or Mesha Sankranti.[7]

Ugadi has been an important and historic festival of the Hindus, with medieval texts and inscriptions recording major charitable donations to Hindu temples and community centers on this day.[8] The same day is observed as a New Year by Hindus in many other parts of India, such as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Goa, and is a national public holiday in Mauritius. It is also a public holiday in Indonesia as Hindu Saka New Year which celebrated widely in Bali as Nyepi.[9]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the Sanskrit words yuga (era) and ādi (beginning): "the beginning of a new era."[6] Yugadi or Ugadi falls on "Chaitra Shudhdha Padyami," or the first day of the bright half of the Indian month of Chaitra. This generally falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar.[3][4]

The Telugu people use the term Ugadi[10] (ఉగాది),[11] and the Kannadigas use the term Yugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ) for this festival.[12][13]

Practices[edit | edit source]

Muggu (rangoli) arrangement in April 2009

The Kannada and Telugu communities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are required. The day begins early with ritual showers, rubbing the body with perfumed oil, followed by prayers.[5]

Ugadi Pacchadi (right) is a symbolic dish prepared by Hindu people during this festival

Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough clean.[5] People buy new clothes, including dhoti, and buy new items for the festival to decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves.[4] Mango leaves and coconuts are considered auspicious in the Hindu tradition, and they are used on Ugadi. People also clean the front of their house with water and cow dung paste, then draw colorful floral designs.[4] People offer prayers in temples. The celebration of Ugadi is marked by religious zeal and social merriment.[14][6][15][16] According to Vasudha Narayanan, a professor of religion at the University of Florida:[17]

Special dishes are prepared for the occasion. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, foods such as pulihora, bobbatlu (bhakshalu/polelu/oligale), New Year burelu and pachadi, and preparations made with raw mango go well with the occasion. Of these, pachadi (or Ugadi pacchadi) is the most notable and consists of a chutney-like dish that combines all six flavours of food: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, and astringent.[18] This festive Hindu food is made from tamarind paste (sour), neem flowers (bitter), brown sugar or sweet jaggery (sweet), table salt (salty), green chili (spicy), and raw mango (astringent). It is a symbolic reminder of complex phases of life one should reasonably expect in the new year.[17][15][19]

In Karnataka, foods such as Holige or Obattu and mango pickles are made. In addition, a speciality of Yugadi in Karnataka is to create "bevu bella" a mixture of neem and jaggery, to signify both the sweet and the bitter, or the sihi-kahi(ಸಿಹಿ-ಕಹಿ). This symbolizes life's own experiences with a bit of bitterness and a hint of sweetness.

Related festivals[edit | edit source]

Maharashtran Hindus refer to the festival, observed on the same day, as Gudhi Padwa (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.).[20] The Sindhis celebrate the same day as Cheti Chand, which is the beginning of their calendar year.[21] Manipuris also celebrate their New Year as Sajibu Nongma Panba on the same day.[22]

The Hindus of Bali in Indonesia also celebrate their new year on the same day as Nyepi.[23]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  2. Karen-Marie Yust (2006). Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 228–229. ISBN 978-0-7425-4463-5.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Maithily Jagannathan (2005). South Indian Hindu Festivals and Traditions. Abhinav Publications. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-81-7017-415-8.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jeaneane D. Fowler (1997). Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-1-898723-60-8.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Narayanan, Vasudha (1999). "Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time". Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies. 12 (1). Butler University: 17–18. doi:10.7825/2164-6279.1205.
  7. "Ugadi and Astronomy". Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers' Club. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  8. K.V. Raman (2003). Sri Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi: A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture. Abhinav Publications. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-81-7017-026-6.
  9. "Happy Ugadi 2026: Wishes, Messages, Quotes, Images, Greetings, Facebook & Whatsapp status". The Times of India. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  10. "Hyderabad people celebrate Ugadi with food and family amid lockdown | Hyderabad News – Times of India". The Times of India. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  11. Mar 31, TOI-Online. "Ugadi 2021 date, time and significance of Yugadi – Times of India". The Times of India. Times of india. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ಸೋಹೋನಿ, ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ (15 March 2018). "ಯುಗಾದಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷ... ಏನಿದರ ಮಹತ್ವ?". kannada.oneindia.com (in ಕನ್ನಡ). Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  13. "Ugadi Festival in Telugu | ఉగాది చరిత్ర విశిష్టత విధానం". www.intelugu.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  14. Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings Archived 30 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514
  15. 15.0 15.1 Neem - Ancient Tree, Modern Miracle, Warm Earth, National Library of Australia, No. 83, Mar/Apr 2009, pages 36-37
  16. Devagi Sanmugam; Shanmugam Kasinathan (2011). Indian Heritage Cooking. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-981-4435-08-6.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Narayanan, Vasudha (1999). "Y51K and Still Counting: Some Hindu Views of Time". Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies. 12 (1). Butler University: 17–18. doi:10.7825/2164-6279.1205.
  18. Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 91977), Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 18, No. 3 (September 1977), pages 507–514
  19. Devagi Sanmugam; Shanmugam Kasinathan (2011). Indian Heritage Cooking. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-981-4435-08-6.
  20. "Share the love with a delectable Mavinakayi Chitranna recipe as you stay home this Gudi Padwa". The Economic Times. The economic Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  21. "Ugadi a time to rejoice". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 4 April 2005. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005.
  22. "Navratri, Gudi Padwa, Sajibu Cheiraoba, Ugadi geetings flood Twitter". The Statesman. 18 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  23. "Bali's Silent Nyepi and India's Ugadi - A Time for Introspection". Center for Soft Power. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.


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