On April 8th the Telugu New Year Day Ugadi was celebrated amidst much fanfare in the city of Hyderabad. The Telugu people had morning prayers and pooja was followed by early morning prayers, get together and social gatherings where the people have exchanged gifts and pleasantries and had a great afternoon feast.
In many homes across the city, the celebrations of the New Year were ushered with more pomp, gaiety and people enjoyed homemade delicious dishes. Ugadi brings people a sense of renewed hope and has always been about starting a fresh. The pachadi a must have dish which is made during Ugadi is a bitter chutney and is made of ingredients like neem flowers and raw mango.
The pachadi symbolizes the flushing out of the bitterness of the past years. The pachadi can give immunity against several dishes. Many people gift their young ones and gets blessings from the elders. The day is particularly special as it is one of few times in a year that the whole family gets together to cook and eat.
Other traditions which are associated with the day, such as a visit to the temple, pooja at home were also followed. Many refined at home in Hyderabad as the courtesy rising temperatures and some took advantage of the long weekend to move away from the city. Tourist destinations such as Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada apart from Bengaluru are hot favorites.
