Ugadi 2024: Date, Time, Celebration, and Significance
Ugadi is a festival celebrated by the people of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana to welcome the New Year. The event takes place in the Hindu calendar’s Chaitra month, which roughly corresponds to the months of March and April in the Gregorian calendar. The term Ugadi is supposed to come from the Sanskrit word Yugadi, which is a combination of Yuga (era) and Adi (age) (the beginning). The term Yugadi, or Ugadi, refers to the start of a new (year) period.
Ugadi celebrations begin a few days before the actual day, with people cleaning and washing their homes. They go out and buy new clothes for the entire family. Families begin making preparations for the day’s special foods.
Ugadi 2024 Date
In 2024, Ugadi falls on Tuesday April 09.
Pratapatha Tithi started – 11:50 PM on Apr 08, 2024
Tribute Tithi ends – 08:30 PM on Apr 09, 2024
The festival of Ugadi is also mentioned in Hindu mythology, namely in relation to Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is said to have begun the creation of the Universe on Ugadi day. As a result, Ugadi is regarded as the first day of the universe’s formation process. In other areas of the country, such as Punjab, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu, Ugadi also coincides with the arrival of spring and the harvest season and is celebrated alongside harvest and New Year festivals.
Ugadi Festival Celebration
Ugadi is a festival that is celebrated with great zeal and intensity. People often get up before daybreak on the day of the celebrations and take an oil bath, and the gods and goddesses are also anointed with oil before being worshipped. Flowers and Torans adorn the front doors of homes, workplaces, and shops, and colourful floral patterns or rangolis are typically painted in front of residences.
Before eating Bevu Bella, or Ugadi Pachadi, a particularly auspicious and significant dish of the occasion, people dress up in new attire and visit temples to honour the Sun God. The Panchanga Sravanam, or reading the Panchanga, is a major ceremony during Ugadi, performed either by priests in temples or by the eldest family member at home. Ugadi is considered the finest time to start new ventures and take on new challenges because of how fortunate the day is.
Ugadi Festival Significance
Ugadi’s importance in people’s life is enormous, as evidenced by the fact that it is still widely commemorated. It is observed to honour Lord Brahma and his creation, as well as Vishnu in his Yugaadikrit avatar, who is the universe’s creator.
Ugadi is the astronomical start of the earth’s energising process. Because of its tilt, the Earth receives the most sunlight at this time, it is thought to be symbolically preparing and recharging itself for a new astronomical cycle. As a result, there is a seasonal transition on Earth, with Ugadi signalling the start of the spring season. Ugadi, like the Gregorian new year, evokes feelings of letting go of the past and enthusiasm and optimism for a new year and a fresh beginning.
Ugadi is a well-known New Year festival in Deccan India’s three major states. While many people believe that the event is solely celebrated in South India, it is also celebrated in North India by numerous south Indian families. If you happen to be in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, or Telangana during Ugadi, you must remain and enjoy the most anticipated event in these states.
