Today, 18th March is Telugu New Year’s First Day. On this occasion
I wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.
All Telugu festivals (except ‘Sankranti’) are
celebrated according to the lunar calendar and hence the Telugu New Year’s Day
does not match with the western solar calendar - a fixed date. The Telugu New Year
commences from the next day after the new moon in March or April every year.
The Telugu New Year’s first day is celebrated as Ugadi
Festival. Ugadi in Sanskrit is Yugadi (Yuga+Adi). Yuga means
Era and Adi means New, so Yugadi or Ugadi festival
is the celebration of the New Year. Yesterday 17th March was the last new
moon day (Amavasya) of the previous year and today 18th March is
the first lunar day – Shukla Padyami of the first Telugu lunar
month Chaitra Masam and the New Year.
Every Telugu Year has a name, there are sixty such names in a
chronological order. At the end of sixty years the names would be repeated once
again. The name of this New Year is ‘Vilambi’ and this year would always
be called and mentioned as ‘Vilambi Nama Samvatsaram’.
In short, Ugadi Festival which is celebrated
on Shukla Padyami of Chaitra Masam is on 18th March
this year. And the name of the New Year is Vilambi Nama Samvatsaram.
The festival is celebrated with great fanfare. Ugadi greetings
are exchanged with all near and dear ones. Prayers are offered to the deities
at home and blessings sought for a very happy, healthy and prosperous New
Year. Kankanam/Talisman is tied on to the right wrist of every
member. Wheat grains placed in front of the deities are picked up in a small
quantity by every family member using just three fingers to foresee how the
year ahead is going to be for them. If an even number (Sarri) of grains
is picked up, the year is going to be normal and if an odd number (Baesh)
of grains are picked it will be an excellent year. Then Ugadi Pachhadi a
unique drink offered as Naivedhyam to the deities is
consumed. Ugadi Pachhadi is prepared using water, Jaggery,
Tamarind, raw Mango, Neem flowers, Salt, Oma/Tymol seeds, dry Coconut, dry
fruits – Cashew and Sara palukulu/Chironji. Ugadi Pachhadi has Shadhruchulu -
meaning six different tastes that are sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, hot and
saltish. This tasty drink which in some houses is prepared as chutney is
a symbolic reminder of the myriad facets of life one would be facing in the
year ahead. Later, the festive lunch is a sumptuous one with some traditional
items like Polelu/Bobbatlu. People also visit a Temple in the neighborhood to
seek blessings for a very good year. Either at the Temple or on TV one also
listens to Panchanga Shravanam that is listening to the
predictions for the year from the Telugu religious almanac which covers all
people, occupations, weather, agriculture, calamities and so on.
New Year commences today for Karnataka and Maharashtra States
as well. It is celebrated with almost the same rituals and fanfare in Karnataka
as Ugadi and in Maharashtra as Gudi Padwa.
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