Ugadi Date in the current year: April 9, 2024

Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra, the first month of the year in the Hindu calendar. It falls on a different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar while the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. The name of the holiday is derived from the Sanskrit expression that means “the beginning of a new age”.

Ugadi is one of the most auspicious days for Kannadigas and Telugus who begin to prepare for the festival a week ahead, cleaning their houses and shopping for new clothes. One of the most important and well-known traditions is cooking a special dish called Ugadi panchadi.

The dish combines six different tastes (bitter, sweet, spicy, salty, sour and astringent) that symbolize six feelings and emotions that are natural in life (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise). Although not all of these feelings and emotions are pleasant, our life would be incomplete without them. Common ingredients for Ugadi panchabi include neem flowers or buds, jaggery or molasses, chili pepper, salt, tamarind juice, and raw mango.

* date for 2024