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About Ugadi

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About Ugadi

Ugadi is the New Year of the Telugu and Kannada people. It falls on the first day of the lunar month of Chaitra, in March or April, at the start of spring.

The name comes from yuga and adi, the beginning of an age. The day marks a fresh start, and the new year's almanac, the panchangam, is read aloud in homes and temples.

Families take an oil bath, wear new clothes, tie mango leaves over the door and draw rangoli. The day's special dish is Ugadi pachadi (bevu bella in Karnataka), made with neem flowers, jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, salt and pepper, so that every taste of life is shared at once. Holige or bobbatlu, a sweet flatbread, is the festival treat.

Ugadi is celebrated across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, and by Telugu and Kannada families around the world. Maharashtra marks the same day as Gudi Padwa.

  • First day of Chaitra
  • Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka
  • Also Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra

Where it began

The name comes from yuga (age) and adi (beginning): the start of a new age. It marks the first day of the year in the lunisolar calendar followed in the Deccan.

One story tells that Brahma began creating the world on this day. Each year in the sixty-year cycle has its own name, and the new year's name is announced at Ugadi.

The festival has been linked with the old Deccan calendar tradition, and the mathematician Bhaskaracharya counted the year from the sunrise of this day.

Neem flowers, the bitter taste in Ugadi pachadi

How it grew over time

  1. Ancient times

    The lunisolar calendar of the Deccan set Chaitra Shukla Pratipada as the first day of the year.

  2. 12th century

    Bhaskaracharya's astronomy worked out the new year, month and day from this sunrise.

  3. Vijayanagara era

    Kings and courts marked the new year with temple rites and gifts.

  4. Today

    Ugadi is a public holiday in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

How it is celebrated in different places

  • Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

    Families make Ugadi pachadi and listen to the Panchanga Sravanam, the reading of the year ahead.

  • Karnataka

    Called Yugadi, it is kept with bevu-bella (neem and jaggery) and obbattu sweet flatbread.

  • Maharashtra and Goa

    The same day is Gudi Padwa, with a gudi pole raised at each door.

  • US and UK

    Telugu and Kannada associations hold Ugadi events with music, dance and food.

Ugadi moments

Neem blooms in spring, just as the new year arrives
An old painting of the neem tree
Neem in spring, the season of the new year

Ugadi today

Families wake early, take an oil bath, and tie mango leaf toranas over the door. Rangoli brightens the entrance. Ugadi pachadi mixes neem flowers, jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, salt and chilli, so that the year's sweet and bitter moments are welcomed together.

In the evening, temples and town halls read the new year's almanac, and poets recite new verses.

How people celebrate Ugadi

  • Mango leaf thoranam over the door
  • Ugadi pachadi with six tastes
  • Holige or bobbatlu
  • Oil bath and new clothes
  • Reading the panchangam (Panchanga Sravanam)
  • Rangoli at the doorstep

How to wish well

  • Send wishes in the morning, before the family tastes the pachadi.
  • "Ugadi Subhakankshalu" (Telugu) and "Ugadi Habbada Shubhashayagalu" (Kannada) are the usual greetings.
  • The six tastes of the pachadi are a lovely theme: wish someone a year with all tastes, sweet the most.
  • For elders, a wish for health and a long life in the new year is most fitting.

Questions about Ugadi

When is Ugadi 2027?

Ugadi falls on the first day of the lunar month of Chaitra. In 2027 it is expected on 7 April; see the date shown on this page.

What do you say on Ugadi?

Say "Happy Ugadi". In Telugu, "Ugadi Subhakankshalu" (ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు); in Kannada, "Ugadi Habbada Shubhashayagalu" (ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು).

What is Ugadi pachadi?

A dish of neem flowers, jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, salt and pepper or chilli. Its six tastes stand for the joys and sorrows a year can bring.

Is Ugadi the same as Gudi Padwa?

They fall on the same day. Ugadi is the Telugu and Kannada New Year; Gudi Padwa is the Marathi New Year.

What is the meaning of Ugadi?

It comes from yuga (age) and adi (beginning): the start of a new year or age.

Why is the panchangam read on Ugadi?

Panchanga Sravanam is the reading of the new year's almanac, with forecasts for the year, usually by a priest or an elder.

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