Monday, February 9, 2009

Ugaadhi Panduga - Telugu New Year

The most profoundly celebrated festival by all the Telugu people invariable of caste, creed, religion is "Ugaadhi - ఉగాది". Ugaadhi is the first day of the new year in a Telugu calender. It is the time of fresh blossoms, it is that time of the year when you see blue skies and fresh clear mornings with tender blossoming flowers and fruits. It is festival where everyone in the family comes together to pray for a good year ahead, an year filled with good health, wealth, love and joy.

As a child what I looked forward towards the most was "Ugaadhi Pachadi", a pickle made on the Ugaadhi day. Here is the recipe for making Ugadhi Pachadi:

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - 1
Sugar Cane - 1/2 foot long stem
Fresh Jagiri (bellam) - 5 gm
Fresh Tamarind - 10 gm
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tea spoon
Crystal Sugar (patika bellam) - 5 gm
Tender Leaf from Mango Tree - 1
Neem flowers - 3 tea spoons
Salt to taste

Procedure:
- Chop the mango into small pieces; extract the juice from the sugarcane; extract tamarind pulp;
- Mix all ingredients together and let it soak for an hour and the Ugaadhi pachadi is ready to eat (please make sure that you finished your bath and prayers; usually it is served as prasadham)

Ugaadhi is celebrated on the day of "Chaithrashuddha Paadyami - చైత్రశుద్ధ పాడ్యమి". On this day ఒనె షౌల్ద్ వాకే అప్ ఎఅర్లీ ఇన్ the morning before sunrise, apply sesame oil on the head and have a hair wash, wear new clothes, apply thilakam on the forehead and pray to the Sun God. Pray to the Lord with lit fragrant incense stick, and by lighting an oil lamp. Offer flowers, fruits and payasam as prasadham.

The whole family comes together for the prayer and receiving the "aarthi". After that every eats Ugaadhi Pachadi and wish each other saying "ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు (ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు) or Nuthana Samvathsara Subhaakankshalu (నూతన సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు)".

The youngsters of the house take blessings from the elders of the house before they have their break-fast. Break fast normally consists for a festive mood, serving "Neythi Gaaralu, Allam Chatney and Payasam".

... to be continued... the prayer procedure and the slokas to be recited will be updated..

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