Ugadi 2022:Â Ugadi or Yugadi marks the new year in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, according to the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, the festival of Ugadi is being celebrated today on April 2. Ugadi or Yugadi is made up of two Sanskrit words- Yug meaning age, adi meaning beginning, which translates to the beginning of a new age or era. Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month and marks the onset of the spring season.
There are many customs and rituals associated with the festival of Ugadi and one of them is to make Ugadi Pachadi. Ugadi Pachadi is a festival drink that is usually made in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Ugadi is full of culinary delicacies and the food is usually prepared in six different flavours, but Ugadi Pachadi tops them all. It is a drink that is a mix of six different tastes. This translucent drink is made up of raw mango, tamarind, jaggery, salt, green chilies, neem leaves, and water.
Jaggery denotes happiness, whereas neem leaves stand for sorrow, tamarind denotes disgust, whereas mango represents surprise. Green chillies denote anger and salt stands for fear.
According to the folklore associated with the festival of Ugadi, Ugadi Pachadi’s unique mixture symbolizes different elements and emotions of life, including happiness and sorrow.
Here are the six tastes of Ugadi Pachadi
1. Kaaram – spice
2. Uppu- salt
3. Teepi- sweet
4. Vagaru- bitter
5. Chedu- a type of sour
6. Pulupu- a type of sour
It is believed that drinking whatever ingredient first hits your tastebuds is supposed to determine your fate and course of events for the upcoming year. For instance, if jaggery’s sweetness first hits, then your year is expected to be a prosperous year ahead, whereas if neem leaves are the first you bite on, then the year is expected to have some bittersweet experiences.
