Essay on “Ugadi” Festival
The New Year festival Ugadi comes close on the heels of Holi. While the strong colours of Holi start fading away, the freshness of spring lingers on with sprightliness all around. Ugadi is celebrated with festive fervour in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu Lunar calendar with a change in the moon’s orbit. It is a day when mantras are chanted and predictions are made for the New Year. Traditionally, the panchangravanam or listening to the yearly calendar is done at the temples.
It is a season for raw mangoes spreading their aroma in the air and the fully blossomed neem tree that makes the air healthy. ‘Ugadi pachchadi’ is one such dish that has become synonymous with Ugadi. It is made of new jaggery, raw mango pieces and neem flowers. Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are given a thorough wash. Shopping for new clothes and buying other items that go with the requirement of the festival are done with a lot of excitement.
