Derived from Sanskrit words ‘yuga’ (age) and ‘ādi’ (beginning), Ugadi is the New Year festival celebrated in the Deccan region of India. Following the Hindu Luni-solar calendar, it falls in March or April and is celebrated on the 1st day of the month of Chithra, the first month in the Indian calendar Panchanga. While people of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh call it Ugadi, Maharashtrians call it Gudi Padwa while for Sindhis, this festival is called Cheti Chand. Interestingly, the North-Eastern state of India, Manipur also celebrates their New Year the same day. People take oil bath and then do ‘puja’ to seek blessings for a prosperous new year. A special preparation consisting of a mixture of different tastes, known as Ugadi Pachhadi (Telugu) or Bevu Bella (Kannada), is prepared on this day. This food symbolizes the concept that life is a mixture of different experiences. Each ingredient in this preparation signifies a specific experience. Bitter neem flowers signify grief, sweet jaggery and ripe banana pieces signify happiness, the hot taste of green chilli/pepper stands for while salt signifies fear and so on. To send your wishes to India on this festival, order and send gifts through our cheap online service and surprise you beloveds with every special buy.
