The months of March/April are auspicious months for the Hindu community worldwide as they usher in their respective New Year, beginning with the 500,000 stronghold Telugu Community’s Ugadi in Malaysia which falls on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Referred to as the Telugu Panchang or Almanac, Ugadi is believed to be the day when Brahma, the Creator in the Hindu Trinity who formed the universe. It is celebrated on the first moon of the Chaitra month of the lunar calendar. Ugadi is the Telugu New year celebrated all over the world by Telugu and Kannada speaking people. It is also marked as the beginning of the vasantakalam or season, whereby it is the time where plants sprout new shoots, unripe mangoes hang from branches, neem flowers appear, and the farmers prepare their land for the next crops.
The community’s calendar is on a 60- year rotation with an unique name for each year and the New Year in 2025 which is the 39th Year of the 60 Year cycle is called “Vishwavasu”. Thus, the wish can be simply stated as “Sri Vishwavasu Nama Ugadi Subhakankshalu”. The significance can be seen in its name since Yuga means “era”, and Aadi means “the beginning”.
Preparations for Ugadi start as early as one week prior, when homes are cleaned and decorated and new clothes are purchased. Families also perform prayers for their goddess in a special ceremony called the Nokalamma Panduga (Goddess Nokalamma Festival) the night before, on 29.3.2025. 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. Colourful muggu (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 gets dressed in new traditional outfits, men in their kattu panchi (dhoti) and kandua (shawl) and women in their finery. The entire family then gathers at the prayer room for the Ugadi prayers. Another part of the celebration is the cultural aspect where most indulge in the reading of literary works, poetic recitations, chanting of mantras and Vedas, singing bhajans 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 on the auspicious day. 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 (sweet) as well as a pinch of salt. These six tastes known as “Satruchi” symbolises life as a blend of different experiences – sorrow, joy, anger, fear, disgust and surprise) – which should all be accepted in the journey of life. Other favourites include Teepu Garulu (a sweet vadai dipped in Jaggery), Burulu (a sweet made in a round shape with green peas or dhall dipped in flour and fried), Arusulu (a sweet dish flattened with the ingredients being rice flour, jaggery and sesame seeds) and Bobbatu (a sweet flatbread made primarily of flour and jaggery).
Ugadi Celebrations This year, the Telugu Community as usual will be celebrating and ushering the New Year. All 30 branches of the Association Nationwide will be having their celebrations beginning 30th March 2025 till mid of May 2025. Telugu Association of Malaysia Headquarters will also be hosting a National Level Ugadi Open House in the month of May 2025 after completion of the celebrations by all branches and also the completion of Hari Raya Festivities so that all can partake in our Ugadi Open House.
Referred to as the Telugu Panchang or Almanac, Ugadi is believed to be the day when Brahma, the Creator in the Hindu Trinity who formed the universe. It is celebrated on the first moon of the Chaitra month of the lunar calendar. Ugadi is the Telugu New year celebrated all over the world by Telugu and Kannada speaking people. It is also marked as the beginning of the vasantakalam or season, whereby it is the time where plants sprout new shoots, unripe mangoes hang from branches, neem flowers appear, and the farmers prepare their land for the next crops.
The community’s calendar is on a 60- year rotation with an unique name for each year and the New Year in 2025 which is the 39th Year of the 60 Year cycle is called “Vishwavasu”. Thus, the wish can be simply stated as “Sri Vishwavasu Nama Ugadi Subhakankshalu”. The significance can be seen in its name since Yuga means “era”, and Aadi means “the beginning”.
Preparations for Ugadi start as early as one week prior, when homes are cleaned and decorated and new clothes are purchased. Families also perform prayers for their goddess in a special ceremony called the Nokalamma Panduga (Goddess Nokalamma Festival) the night before, on 29.3.2025. 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. Colourful muggu (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 gets dressed in new traditional outfits, men in their kattu panchi (dhoti) and kandua (shawl) and women in their finery. The entire family then gathers at the prayer room for the Ugadi prayers. Another part of the celebration is the cultural aspect where most indulge in the reading of literary works, poetic recitations, chanting of mantras and Vedas, singing bhajans 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 on the auspicious day. 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 (sweet) as well as a pinch of salt. These six tastes known as “Satruchi” symbolises life as a blend of different experiences – sorrow, joy, anger, fear, disgust and surprise) – which should all be accepted in the journey of life. Other favourites include Teepu Garulu (a sweet vadai dipped in Jaggery), Burulu (a sweet made in a round shape with green peas or dhall dipped in flour and fried), Arusulu (a sweet dish flattened with the ingredients being rice flour, jaggery and sesame seeds) and Bobbatu (a sweet flatbread made primarily of flour and jaggery).
Ugadi Celebrations This year, the Telugu Community as usual will be celebrating and ushering the New Year. All 30 branches of the Association Nationwide will be having their celebrations beginning 30th March 2025 till mid of May 2025. Telugu Association of Malaysia Headquarters will also be hosting a National Level Ugadi Open House in the month of May 2025 after completion of the celebrations by all branches and also the completion of Hari Raya Festivities so that all can partake in our Ugadi Open House.