"Happy New Year" is a refrain you will hear in India throughout the year....every state has its own New year! Today is UGADI in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and GUDI PADWA in the western state of Maharashtra.
Ugadi is being celebrated in Bangalore (capital of Karnataka) with the traditional decorations, new clothes, exchange of greetings and special dishes! Mango leaves and flowers are on sale everywhere, and used to decorate houses and temples(and even shopping centers!)
People draw colorful "rangoli" (special designs) in front of the door, and tie mango leaves and flowers (called "thorana") as decoration on the main door. An early morning traditional oil bath is followed by prayers and worship ("Puja") when a mixture of neem leaves and jaggery is offered to the deity. This combination is supposed to symbolize the bitter sweet nature of life in general! The lunch ("holige") is very elaborate, including various curries and special dishes like the "ugadi chutney" (neem flowers, mango, tamarind and jaggery---again, the same symbolism as the Puja offering)! The rituals in neighboring Andhra Pradesh are similar, and mango rice is essential on this day.
In Maharashtra too, jaggery and neem leaves must be eaten today! The other specialities are a mixture of mango and jaggery ("Aam paana" --aam: mango) and sweet dishes ("shrikhand" and "pooran poli").
A new cloth is tied to a bamboo stick (a "gudi") which is then decorated with a copper pot ("kalash") and a chain made of sugar crystals and neem leaves. This is kept outside the house till the evening, as a welcome to the Hindu deity Lord Rama (the protagonist of the epic Ramayana).
The rituals (and dishes!) differ, but the spirit remains the same!
Wow! It would be very interesting to live in a place where New Year is celebrated all year round.. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe colourful fresh decorations are beautiful..