Happy Ugadi 2022: What is Ugadi Pachadi, the festival drink made of?

Ugadi 2022: The festival drink of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, Ugadi Pachadi is made of six flavours; know what those flavours are.

Ugadi

Ugadi 2022: Ugadi or Yugadi, according to the Hindu lunar calendar, marks the new year in Telangana,  Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Telangana, according to the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, Udagi is being celebrated on Saturday, April 2. Ugadi or Yugadi is coined from two Sanskrit words - Yug which means age and Adi meaning beginning. This literally translates to the beginning of a new age. Celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month, Ugadi marks the onset of the spring season.

People follow many customs and rituals on Ugadi, including the preparation of the festival drink called Ugadi Pachadi. This drink is usually made in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. On the occasion of Ugadi, a variety of culinary delicacies are prepared in the households using six different flavours; of this, Ugadi Pachadi stands at the top.

Ugadi Pachadi is a drink that is made by mixing six different flavours and tastes. The primary ingredients of Ugadi Pachadi include tamarind, raw mango, jaggery, salt, neem leaves, green chillies, and water.
Each of the six flavours represents an emotion.

While jaggery represents happiness, neem leaves are for sorrow, tamarind represents disgust, and raw mango stands for surprise. Green chillies and salt, on the other hand, represent anger and fear, respectively.

UGADI PACHADI: THE SIX STATES

1. Kaaram: spice
2. Uppu: salt
3. Teepi: sweet
4. Vagaru: bitter
5. Chedu: a type of sour
6. Pulupu: a type of sour

As per the belief that goes around Udagi Pachadi, upon drinking it, whichever ingredient hits your tastebuds first, represents your fate. It also decides the course of events for your upcoming year.

For example, if you taste the sweetness of jaggery first, then expect your year to be filled with prosperity. But, if neem leaves is what you tasted first, then expect some sort of bitterness through the year.