Ugadi / Gudi Padwa 2026 in Chicago falls on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Sunrise is 6:55 AM CDT.
The first day of the Hindu lunar year — held to be the day Brahma began creation. Homes are cleansed, a new panchang is ceremonially opened and the year’s forecast (Panchanga Shravanam) is heard. The same day begins Chaitra Navratri with Ghatasthapana.
Celebrated as Ugadi in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — with Ugadi pachadi, a six-taste dish standing for life’s sweetness, sourness and bitterness — and as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, where a decorated gudi (victory flag with a garlanded pot) is raised outside homes.
Eat something new, wear something new, begin something new — the day is an abujha muhurat. Neem-and-jaggery tasting reminds that the year will bring both bitter and sweet.