Ugadi To Start From April 9; A Look At The Importance Of This Festival In Karnataka

Ugadi marks the beginning of the New Year in the Telugu calendar. It will be observed on April 9 this year. It is one of the prominent festivals celebrated amongst the Hindus with great pomp and fanfare. According to Local 18 Kannada, it is believed that the Ugadi festival is the beginning of a new age, year, and future, according to the Hindu tradition. As per scientific beliefs, the future of an individual will also change from this day. On this day, astrologers can draw inferences about the future of the people by looking at the new almanack in the evening, after the Ugadi festival is over.

An almanack is a publication containing astronomical or meteorological information, usually including future positions of celestial objects, star magnitudes, and culmination dates of constellations.

It is a tradition to eat neem jaggery on the occasion of Ugadi in Karnataka. Neem symbolises many complications and sorrows in the path of life while jaggery represents happiness and joy. This means that happiness and sorrows should be accepted as integral parts of life and consuming neem and jaggery have a lot of health benefits as well. Some of these benefits are:

Neem

1. Neem is a storehouse of medicinal properties and grows abundantly with the onset of the spring. It is readily available and purifies the atmosphere.

2. Neem is bitter and rich in juice as well. When taken along with jaggery, it reduces the bile content and cools down the body. Bile is a physiological aqueous solution produced and secreted by the liver. It consists mainly of bile salts, phospholipids, cholesterol, conjugated bilirubin, electrolytes, and water.

Jaggery

1. It contributes to weight loss as consuming jaggery after mail fosters good digestion while satiating your sweet tooth. For example, coconut jaggery is quite rich in potassium. Potassium prevents water retention in the body and improves metabolism.

2. Energises instantly

Jaggery is a storehouse of complex carbohydrates that boost energy levels in the body. Consume a piece of jaggery whenever you experience fatigue and you will feel energised in no time.