Ugadi 2019 Date in India: Ugadi will be celebrated on April 6 this year. (Photo by iStock / Getty Images Plus)Ugadi (Gudi Padwa) 2019 Date in India: Ugadi, which is celebrated with much fervour and enthusiasm across the country, but primarily by people in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, marks the beginning of the New Year. As per the Hindu calendar, the festival falls on the first day of the Chaitra month, and will be celebrated on Saturday, April 6 this year.
Ugadi, which is a mix of two Sanskrit words – ‘yug’ (which means era) and ‘aadi’ (which means beginning), is also celebrated as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Thapna in Rajasthan, Sajibu Cheiraoba in Manipur, and Cheti Chand by the Sindhi people. Ugadi is considered to the the New Year according to luni-solar calendar.
The day is considered auspicious as it is widely believed that Lord Brahma created the Hindu trinity – Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer) – on this day. The day also marks the beginning of Chaitra Navratri, that leads up to Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birthday.
Much like other festivals, on this day people clean and decorate their houses with mango leaves and flowers and also place a kalash at the entrace of their homes. People also make rangolis and beautify their homes, while many others use fresh cow down, which is considered pious, to purify their homes.
Some people also apply sesame oil on their bodies before taking a bath at the break of dawn and wearing new clothes, and many others offer jasmine garlands to the deity.
A vegetarian feast is prepared for the festival, and one of the dishes which is especially prepared on the day is Ugadi Pachadi. It is prepared using jaggery, tamarind, neem flowers, raw mango, salt and chilly powder – which each ingredient signifying an emotion of life namely, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and spicy. The first meal is always served to the deity, which is later consumed as prasad by devotees.
