Ugadi Festival:

Introduction to Ugadi Festival 

The Ugadi Festival in Andhra Pradesh is the New Year festival that is celebrated every year as Ugadi marks the beginning of the Hindi Lunar calendar. Ugadi marks a day of joy and happiness, aspirations and hope, the belief are that this day and its joys would foreshadow the course of events for the upcoming year.

Description of the Ugadi Festival 

Ugadi festival in Andhra Pradesh is the festival to rejoice the coming of the New Year. It gives the people of Andhra Pradesh a reason to celebrate and many different ways to celebrate the coming of the New Year. People wake up early and wear new clothes. The festoons of mangoe (torana) are tied to the doors and the houses are decorated with fresh flowers. There is a special 'Chutney' called Ugadi pachadi that is made during the Ugadi festival which is kept in an earthen pot before the idol of the house. After puja is performed and everyone takes the share of the chutney, they go for feasts and meals together.




Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw fresh mango finely chopped along with skin
• 1 tbsp of margosa flowers (neem flowers)
• ½ cup of grated jaggery
• 3 -4 tbsp tamarind juice
• chilli pwd
• salt to taste

Preparation:

Mix up all the ingredients into a semi liquid form and enjoy. Each and every ingredient spreads its own flavors and is a real feast to the tongue.
We had been to the temple on ugadi and they served this pachadi as “Prasadam”. Oh it was a heavenly taste, not only to the tongue but also to the soul. They added Bananas too. Couldn’t get enough of it and no wonder they call it Prasadam (prashad).