Yugadi or Ugadi or "Samvatsradi" (Telugu: ఉగాది, Ugādi ?or సంవత్సరాది:samvatsradi), Konkani/Marathi: युगादी yugādi, Kannada: ಯುಗಾದಿ, yugādi, IPA: [juga:di] ? is the New Year's Day for the people of the Deccan region of India. The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the name "Yuga Adi", which means 'the beginning of a new age'. [1] It falls on the different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar. The Saka calendar begins with the month of Chaitra (March–April) and Ugadi marks the first day of the new year. Chaitra is the first month in Panchanga which is the Indian calendar.

In Mauritius, the Ugadi is the new year in the Telegu calendar and is known as Nandana Nanah Ugadi which will be celebrated on Friday 23 March 2012. It is a family event and is meant to reaffirm the values and rites embedded in the culture. On that day, the people of the Telegu community have a shower at dawn with saffron and perfumed oil which is meant to purify and enable to forget all issues and misunderstandings of the past year and to start afresh a new year.

Wearing new clothes is the tradition as well as preparing the thoranam composed of 18 mango leaves attached together and put at the entrance door of the house. The muggulu a sketch made up of flowers and coloured rice is also prepared. The Thoranam is believed to bring positive waves to the house while the muggulu sketched on the floor represents harmony.

The Ugadi Pachadi, a paste prepared using salt, chili, green mango, lila leaves, sugar and tamarind is distributed to all members of the family.

The eating of a specific mixture of six tastes (షడ్రుచులు), called Ugadi Pachhadi (ఉగాది పచ్చడి) in Telugu and Bevu-Bella (ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ) in Kannada,[4] symbolizes 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

A prayer is done at home before tasting to the Ugadi Pachadi and thereafter going to the temple where special prayers for the occasion will be carried out before taking cognizance of the astrological predictions. Cakes will afterwards be distributed to family and friends.

The whole family will gather to enjoy the traditional lunch during which they will wish one another Ugadi Subhakankshalu.

Mar 22, 2012

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