Today, 25th March is Telugu New Year’s First Day. On this
auspicious and happy occasion, I Wish You All A Very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful
and Prosperous New Year.
Hope the on-going phase of infectious Coronavirus disease will soon
end, all over the world and will never come back, even if a cure is found.
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 5th
April was the last New Moon Day (Amavasya) of the previous year and today 6th
April 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
chronological order. At the end of sixty years, the names would be repeated
once again. The name of this New Year is ‘Shaarvari’ and this year would always
be called and mentioned as ‘Shaarvari Nama Samvatsaram’.
In short, Ugadi Festival which is celebrated on Shukla Padyami of
Chaitra Masam is on 25th March this year. And the name of the New Year is Shaarvari
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. In
the Puja Room, Kankanam/Talisman is tied on to the right wrist of every male
family member and on the left wrist of women family members. 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 neighbourhood 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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