Festivals are an integral part of our life and culture and Hindu tradition offers them in plenty. There is a festival for every reason and for every season. Every celebration centers around rituals of prayer, seeking blessings, exchanging goodwill, decorating houses, wearing new clothes, music, dance and feasting.
Do you know the most important festival that falls in the month of March? It is Yugadi!! Yugadi is one of the most important festivals among numerous festivals that we celebrate. Yugadi means “ Beginning of New age ” ( Yuga = Age and Aadi=beginning).
Hindu culture is diverse and Hindu people speak many languages. No wonder ! This festival is recognized by various names and celebrated in various ways and on different days. Some called it as “Varsha Pratipada”, and some as “Gudi Padva. Some called it as “Naba Barsha” and some as “Goru Bihu”. It is believed that, on this day, the Universe was created by Lord Brahma. This is the day when Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as Matsya (the Fish Incarnation). On this day, Shri Rama killed Vali. The great Indian Mathematician Bhaskaracharya’s calculations proclaimed the Yugadi as the beginning of the New Year, new month and new day.
On Yugadi, people eat the paste of bitter-sweet leaves and flowers of Neem tree, tamarind and jaggery. Jaggery represents joy and happiness and Neem represents sorrow. Life is a mixture of happiness and sorrow and all of them have to be treated alike.
