Bringing new joy and new hope, Yugadi marks the beginning of the New Year. It also brings happiness with the onset of the vasanth rithu (spring). It is the most important festival for Hindus, which falls on Chaitra Shuddha Padyami (Prathipade). According to Hindu myths, Lord Brahma created the earth and set days, nights, dates, weeks, fortnights, months, seasons, and years to count the time. During the Ramayana period, the New Year was celebrated on the first day of Uttharayana. So, Chaitra was the 12th month. Varahamihira, a saint who lived in 6th century, started a new method of celebrating New Year on Chaitra Shuddha Padyami / Prathipade. His calculation was based on the onset of spring.

Followers of the Chandramana system (Sali-vahana Saka), mostly living in southern states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh celebrate new year on Chaitra Suddha Prathipade. The name Yugadi is derived from yuga aadi {yuga + aadi beginning of new age). It is believed that die creator of the Hindu pantheon Lord Brahma started creation on this day - Chaitra Suddha Prathipade or the Yugadi day.

Yugadi heralds the beginning of the New Year, new month and new day with the arrival of Chaithra Masa (month) the winter season ends. We see budding tender leaves, flowers and fruits; listen to chanting of birds and smell fragrance of flowers from a distance. We find cheerfulness booming everywhere. So, the earth will appear in a special delight. Naturally, it is the happiest day of the year.

Festival preparations begin a week ahead. Excitement for the festivals fills the air with bliss. Houses are given a thorough wash. Shopping for new clothes and other items required for the festival are done with a lot of enthusiasm. People wake up before the break of dawn, apply coconut oil on their skin and take a head bath after which they decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves. Wearing new clothes, they offer Puja to God, invoking his blessings before they start off with the New Year. They pray for their health, wealth and prosperity and success in business too.

Yugadi is the most auspicious time to start new ventures. People consume neem and jaggery. The neem, extremely bitter in taste, and the sweet as well as delicious jaggery, signifies the two conflicting aspects of human life -- joy and sorrow. The combination is exchanged between friends to symbolize renewed warmth and love overcoming the difficulties of life. It is also an occasion to forgive old debts and forget old disputes. Everyone should resolve to face calmly whatever happens in this year, accepting it with good grace. Men should rise above sorrow and happiness, success and failure. Auspicious days like Yugadi should be used for making resolutions to change our way of life and to purify our behaviour by giving up all bad qualities. Yugadi is a festival that teaches lessons in selfless service.

Panchanga Shravana-listening to the yearly calendar is an important event on Yugadi day. Experts will open the new Panchanga on that day and explain the forecast of rain, crops, storms, crop prices and other relevant things. Predictions of the whole year are made to make people prepared to face any situation. People also watch the moon (Chandra Darshana) as it an eventful day. Yugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon`s orbit. This festival is celebrated with fervour in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Known as Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Ugadi in Karnataka, it is known as Gudi Pawda in Maharashtra.