Ugadi

Ugadi (literally - the start of an era) or Telugu New Year Day is the new year's day for the people of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the Chaitra Sudhdha Paadyami or the first day of a lunar year, which generally falls in the months of March or April of the Solar Calendar year.

The Telugus celebrate the festival by consuming a heterogenous mixture of which the ingredients stand for the basic types of tastes. The list of ingredients include

• Tamarind for Sourness
• Neem flowers for Bitterness
• Salt for Saltiness
• Jaggery for Sweetness
• Mango for ''Savoriness

These different tastes in the mixture symbolize the mixed nature of the coming new year.

Trivia

• Vasanta Nava Ratri Utsav (literally - The nine day festival commemoratin g the advent of Spring) starts on this day and culminates with Sri Ramanavami which occurs on Chaitra Sudhdha Navami.
• Panchanga Sravanam ( or knowning about the fortunes of coming year) is done in the evening of this day.