Ugadi/Yugadi is the traditional beginning of the new year (year 5119!) of a few ethnicities in India: Kannadigas (in and around Bangalore) Telugus (many of of whom are in or around Hyderabad). A related new year for Marathi People (in and around Mumbai) is Gudhi Padwa.
There are a few other cultures that follow a Lunar calendar, and the Persian New Year falls in a couple days also (Nowruz Mubarak!).That’s a bit of trivia for folks that have friends or colleagues in India.
How we celebrate:
Generally speaking (speaking as someone with a Telugu family) it’s a time to hang out, and eat an interesting assortment of foods. The whole spread:
A couple notable nomnoms:
- Ugadi Pachadi: a concoction that mixes four different ingredients: brown sugar, raw mango, salt, and neem leaves for sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavors, respectively. My understanding is that this is a reflection of the tumultuous year ahead. I like this part of the tradition because it informs you the entire 364 days following will not all be sunshine and grinning unicorns. Maybe some of the unicorns have rabies.
- Obbatu: A sweet made almost like a yellow tortilla/roti, except with seasoned brown sugar in the middle. It’s often eaten with ghee (clarified butter), milk, and a banana.
Needless to say Indian festivals are not low-carb affairs.
Happy Ugadi, and may you handle the inevitable bitterness of the year 5119 ahead!
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