Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Ingredients Of A New Year

Ugadi Pachadi

I am not much of a traditional festival lover, especially with the number of festivals we (Andhrites) have. A few of my favourites is Ugadi (New Year) and Diwali. Diwali for just the lamps and not the crackers though.

Ugadi for the joy of a new beginning, the excitement of wearing new clothes and the Ugadi Pachadi we make! Ugadi Pachadi, a watery drink, is symbolic of the year ahead, reminding us of how it can turn out. Its ingredients are also the reminder of the summer season and the new flora and fauna it brings. The drink contains - jaggery, raw mangoes, tamarind, ground pepper, Neem tree flowers and powdered green cardamom. These signify that your year ahead be a little bit of all the elements mentioned above - sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and aromatic - a little bit of everything. It tastes wonderful and I like it more because of the significance. 

Today, I recall how mom used to get up early, prepare Ugadi Pachadi and wear new clothes. It's not a festival for my in-laws, but I wanted them to taste this Pachadi and made some for everyone. Though it didn't turn out to be like mom's, it did taste well! I wore a new saree too :D Also prepared some payasam (kheer, a sweet dish). It felt nice to do things that mom used to do. It made me feel as if I've achieved some goal, probably of being the homemaker :)

And the cherry on top of the cake was when V said, thank you for putting in all the efforts. It made my day :)

No comments: