Telugu community celebrate Ugadi today with a host of rituals

The most-awaited ritual for Ugadi is the Panchanga Sravanam, the religious almanac predictions for the year to come that are read at temples.

APRIL is an auspicious month for Hindu communities as they usher in their respective New Year, beginning with the Telugu community’s Ugadi today.

Referred to as the Telugu Panchang or Almanac, Ugadi is believed to be the day when Brahma – the Creator, in the Hindu Trinity – formed the universe.

The community’s calendar is on a 60-year rotation with a unique name for each year and the 2016 new year is called Durmukhi Naama Ugadi.

According to the Telugu Association of Malaysia past vice-president Venkatesan Subramaniam, it is also the end of winter bringing spring in its wake with new life.

Its significance can be seen in its name since yuga means “era”, and aadi means “the beginning”.

Preparations for Ugadi start a day earlier when homes are cleaned and decorated and new clothes are purchased.

Families also perform the Intamana talli prayers for their goddess in a special ceremony called the Nokallamma Panduka the night before.

“On the day of the festival, fresh mango leaves are strung up above doorways for prosperity in the new year. The day is considered to be auspicious to start new ventures as well,” said Venkatesan.

Colourful rangoli, an intricate chalk pattern or design, is also drawn on the front porch.

Celebrants usually wake up at the crack of dawn to take an oil bath specially prepared by the matriarch of the family.

The oil contains a mixture of castor, coconut and mustard oil.

After the bath, the family get dressed in new traditional outfits, men in their kathu panchi (dhoti) and kandua (shawl) and women in their finery.

The entire family then gather at the prayer room for the Ugadi prayers.

Another part of the celebrations is the cultural aspect. Most indulge in the reading of literary works, poetic recitations, chanting of mantras and listening to classical songs.

However, the most-awaited ritual for Ugadi is the Panchanga Sravanam, the religious almanac predictions for the year to come which are read at temples.

Like in all other festivals, prayers and feasts are an important aspect of celebrations and first on the menu is the ugadi pachadi. It is a mixture of ingredients that represent six tastes – neem (bitter), raw mango (tangy), tamarind juice (sour), green chilli/pepper (heat), jaggery and ripe banana pieces (sweet) as well as a pinch of salt.

These tastes symbolise life as a blend of different experiences – sorrow, joy, anger, fear, disgust, surprise) – which should all be accepted.

Apart from that, the Telugu community also eat pulihora, a type of fried rice with turmeric to make it yellow as well as peanuts and curry leaves for added texture and flavour.

Other favourites include bobbatu, a sweet flatbread made primarily of flour and jaggery, and payas, another sweetmeat made of sweet rice and milk that given as on offering to God.

“We also make deep-fried snacks like arrasulu, garulu, bhajis and bondas that are filled with cooked onions, big hot peppers, or just plain salt,” he added.

In conjunction with Ugadi, the association that represents some 400,000 Telugu people in Malaysia is holding a national celebration tomorrow.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will attend the the Ugadi Open House, which will be held from 2.30pm to 7pm.

“There will be a number of traditional performances and we have serve you an array of traditional Telugu delicacies, including a live demonstration of 12 types of traditional delicacies and the ugadi pachadi,” he added.

By PRIYA MENON