Ugadi 2023: On March 22, 2023, the Hindu festival of Ugadi will be celebrated. Ugadi, often spelled Yugadi, is a Hindu celebration that falls on the first day of the new year in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. On the first day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Chaitra, the festival of Ugadi is observed. The traditional new year for Hindus in Maharashtra and Goa, Gudi Padwa, was observed on the same day by Marathi and Konkani Hindus.
Ugadi 2023: Date and Time
| Ugadi Date | Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| Pratipada Tithi Begins | 10:52 PM on Mar 21, 2023 |
| Pratipada Tithi Ends | 08:20 PM on Mar 22, 2023 |
Ugadi Celebration
Hindus celebrate Ugadi as a significant holiday, and several mediaeval manuscripts and inscriptions mention significant philanthropic contributions made on this day to Hindu temples and community organisations. The term Yugadi or Ugadi translates to “the beginning of a new age” and is derived from the Sanskrit terms yuga (age) and adi (beginning). While the Telugu people refer to this holiday as Ugadi, the Kannadiga people use the term Yugadi.
Ugadi/Yugadi Rituals and Significance
The customary rites on the day of Ugadi start with an oil bath and are then followed by prayers. The Hindu texts recommend many practices, including eating neem leaves and taking an oil bath. Also, people decorate doors with mango leaf ornaments known as torana and create colourful designs known as Muggulu on the ground.
On this day, it’s customary to buy and give gifts like new clothing, donate to the needy, take a special bath and receive an oil massage, prepare and share a special dish called pachadi, and go to Hindu temples.
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A week before the festival, preparations get underway. Homes receive a thorough cleaning and are rangoli- and mango-leaf-decorated. In Hindu tradition, mango leaves and coconuts are regarded as lucky foods.
Ugadi Legends
According to a well-known, long-standing myth about the origin of the Ugadi celebration, Lord Brahma is said to have started creating the universe on Ugadi day. Then, to keep track of time, he went on to develop days, weeks, months, and years. As a result, Ugadi designates the first day of the universe’s creation.
One of Lord Vishnu’s names in the Hindu scriptures is Yugaadikrit, which is Sanskrit for “maker of the Yugas” or “ages”. Devotees worship Lord Vishnu on the day of Ugadi and ask for his blessings for a joyful and prosperous life.
Ugadi Special Dishes
On the occasion of the Ugadi festival, numerous unique foods are cooked. Mango pickles, vegetable olige, and vobattu are all produced in Karnataka. Foods like pulihora, bobbatlu (Bhakshalu/polelu/oligale), New Year’s Burelu, Pachadi, and raw mango preparations are created in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
A particular chutney-like dish made on this day using tamarind paste, neem blossoms, brown sugar or sweet jaggery, salt, and occasionally mango is known as pachadi, also known as Ugadi pacchadi. The dish’s combination of sweet, sour, tangy, and bitter flavours serves as a symbolic reminder of the varied stages of life that one can anticipate in the coming year.
