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Ugadi
On this day, it is the practice among the rural folk to eat what is called "
Ugadi Pacchadi (Ugadi Chutney). This Chutney is made from neem flowers, mango juice, honey sugar and other ingredients with different tastes. The inner significance of this preparation is to indicate that life is a mixture of good and bad, joy and sorrow and all of them have to be treated alike. All experiences have to be treated with equanimity. Every one should make a resolve that he will face calmly whatever happens in this year, accepting it with good grace. Welcome everything. Consider everything as for one’s own good. Men should rise above sorrow and happiness, success and failure. This is the primary message of the Ugadi festival.When the Pandavas lived, the time scales were determined on the basis of the longitude which passed through Lanka. When we take this as the basis, we come to the conclusion that the period which we now call kali yuga started in the year named Pramadi, in the month named Sravana and in the fortnight named bahula and on the day called Ashtami. According to the English calendar, this would be described as February 20th, 3102 B.C
. years before the advent of Christ. In order to bring out this aspect of the commencement of a new yuga on February 20th, 3102 B.C., our ancestors have been calling that day as Ugadi or the day of a new era. As this was the commencing day of a new yuga, it was called the Ugadi. Ugadi is also the day on which Krishna gave up his mortal body in a sacred place of pilgrimage called Prabhasa near Dwaraka.