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The Ugadi Festival or the New Year Festival in Hyderabad is celebrated just after Holi. This festival celebrates the beginning of a new year and celebrates the coming of spring. According to Indian mythology it is believed that the Lord Brahma, the Creator and part of the holy trinity, started creation on this day which is also known as the Chaitra suddha padhyami or the Ugadi day. This day is a celebration of all things new; a new year, a new month and a new season. Spring is considered the first season of the year and is the harbinger of new life. Ugadi marks the beginning of the year according to the Hindu Lunar calendar. It is a day when prayers are offered, Sanskrit incantations chanted by the priests in the temples and predictions are made for the coming year. It is also customary to listen to the panchangasravanam or the yearly calendar in the temples, or (these days with the emergence of modern technology) over the radio, television ands the internet. People in Andhra Pradesh and rest of Hyderabad start preparing for the Ugadi festival weeks in advance. Houses are cleaned thoroughly and spruced up to make it look its best. People also buy new clothes and other items that are required to celebrate the festival. Ugadi is celebrated with a lot of pomp and ceremony in Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh. On the Ugadi day in Hyderabad people wake before the break of day to take a bath and after thus “purifying themselves� they start to make decorations in front of the entrance to the house. The entrance is decorated with fresh mango leaves. There is an interesting legend behind the symbols of using mango leaf decorations. It is believed that Lords Kartik and Gamete, the two sons of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati were very fond of mangoes and Kartik ordered that people tie green mango leaves to the doorways of their houses to signify wellbeing and happiness and attract prosperity and wealth for the yeas to come.
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