Ugadi festival – The people of Maharashtra term the same festival, observed on the same day, Gudi Padwa. Sindhis, people from Sindh, celebrate the same day as their New Year day Cheti Chand.[1] Manipuris also celebrate their New Year (Sajibu Cheiraoba) on the same day. While it is observed as Baisakhi in Punjab and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu.
The Kannada, Telugu and the Konkani diaspora in Karnataka and Kerala, people celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are ‘de rigueur’. The day, however, begins with ritual showers (oil bath) followed by prayers, and then the eating of a specific mixture of six tastes, called Ugadi Pachhadi in Telugu and Bevu-Bella in Kannada, 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.
Ugadi festival
The India For You letter
A little more India in your inbox, every week.
New stories on heritage, festivals, travel and traditional wisdom, plus the festival calendar before it happens.