Chitra Vishu (April-May)

Chitra Vishu/Solar New Year/Soura Ugadi

Chitra Vishu falls on the first day of Chithirai month per the solar transit based calendar. The festival is always celebrated on April 14 (plus or minus 1 day). This is celebrated as a New Year very similar to Ugadi.
See  http://festivalsandmore.blogspot.com/search/label/Apr-May Festivals

Ugadi (April-May)

Ugadi/Lunar New Year/Chandramana Ugadi

Close on the heels of Holi, Ugadi/Lunar New Year is celebrated. Bramha started "Creation" on this day that falls in the month of Chaitra. Spring is considered the first season of the year and hence heralding new year and new begining.Ugadi  (yuga-age, adi - beginning) marks the first day of the new year in the Lunar Panchang/Calendar. Traditionally, panchanga shravanam/reading in homes and temples is common practice on this day. Predictions for the year is made for the upcoming new year.

Everyone in the household take an early shower and wear new clothes. The entryways are elaborately decorated with rangoli. The main door way gets a fresh mango leaves torana along with small neem flower twigs darped along on the torana. The rangoli and torana signifies the general well being in the household. Eveeryone prays for health, wealth, prosperity, success and more.

This is a religious and social Holiday and speciality dishes like obbattu/holigae/poli and puliyogarae are the norm. Neem flowers/bevu and jaggery/bella are given as prasad after the phanchangam reading. Bevu Bella are bitter and sweet and its a life lesson to take whatever life throws your way with equanimity.It is also common to make what is called the Ugadi pachadi on tis day (made of fresh raw mango slices, neem flower/leaves, jagerry and tamarind) signifying the combination of bitter, sweet sour experiences that life has to offer.

The day before Ugadi is celebrated as Habbada Amavasyae (no moon day) and usually payasa and ambodae are the added feature in most households.

The day after Ugadi is also celebrated as a mini festival. It is believed that any thing we do and say will stick with us all year long. It is encouraged only to use good speech and do good deeds. It is also a fun game, to pull a string form the clothes ( better if new) and blow it towards the moon. The moon may bless you with many new clothes in the new year.

Sharadu Pandigai (March-April)

Sharadu or Charadu Pandigae/Kargal Adai habba/Mooru Dosae Habba

This festival is usually celebrated around March 14 and denotes the beginning of  the Pongani month. On this day three strand yellow thread (twisted cotton yarn) is smeared with turmeric which is called sharadu or charadu. A little flower is knotted into the sharadu like a pendant and loosely worn around the neck by married women and young girls in the Iyengar community. Many women typically wore their mangal sutra (wedding pendant) on this type of a yellow thread/sharadu in the earlier days. Even to this day very traditional women wear their mangal sutra in this fashion. This special day is deemed auspicious by elders to replace the old yellow thread/sharadu with a new yellow thread/sharadu. It is also customary to invite  a couple of married women and offer the sharadu along with tamboola and beget their blessings. This festival also gets its name from a type of dish prepared for this occasion. A sweet dosae made of three layers (the sweet obbatu/poli pooranam/filling is sandwiched between 2 small dosaes) and hence this festival is called "Mooru Dosae Habba" in Karnataka. In Iyer households this festival is called Kardiyan nombu and sweet adai is prepared for the vratam/vow on that day. The yellow thread/sharadu is typically worn for three days and discarded at the base of a plant, roof top or in a body of water, where people cannot step on.

Holi (March-April)

Holi

Holi is the festival of colors and specially popular with the celebrating youths in India. This is a spring festival and kite flying is popular on this day. The edify of Manmanmatha/Kamanna (cupid) is burnt on this day. Symbolically cupid is invisible and can strike anyone with his cupids arrow anytime. Holi is celebrated on the last full moon day of Palguna.

Rama Navami (April-May)

Rama Navami

This festival celebrates the birth of Sri Rama and observed on navami (9 th day) of the waxing (bright) moon phase, in the month of Chaitra. So this means that 9th day after the Lunar  New Year/Chandramana Ugadi, Sri Rama's birth is celebrated. Special altar with Sri Rama picture is set up and Ramayana parayana ( discourses on Ramayana), reading of Ramayana, chanting Rama nama are commonly conducted in many households. The Ramayana parayana could span a 9 day period and or condensed for convenience, culminating in Ramapatabisheka ( coronation). Panaka (cool juice) and kosambri (salad) are the common prasada offered this day.

Ratha Saptami (Feb-March)

Ratha Sapthami

Ratha Sapthami is celebrated on the 7th day (Saphtami), during the waxing (bright) moon phase, in the month of Magha. It marks the 7th day following the Sun's northerly movement (Uttarayana) from tropic of Capricorn. Sun is symbolized as Surya (Sun God) turning his chariot (ratha) drawn by seven  horses (7 colors), denoting the change in season.

Uttana Dwadashi/Tulsi Festival (Nov-Dec)

Uttana Dwadashi/Tulsi Festival

Tulsi Pooja

The healing powers of Tulsi are tremendous. The leaves, flowers, trunk are all used for various ailments. It is also said that during "Samudramantana", a drop of  "Amrutha" nectar fell on the ground and it grew into a Tulsi plant. In  "Tulabara" all of Sathyabama's jewelary could not match the weight of Sri Krishna, but a tulsi leaf (dala) offered by Rukmini with love, outweighed Sri Krishna. Tulsi's unmatched properties gives it a special place of reverence in all Hindu households.
Uttana Dwadashi/Tulsi festival is celebrated on Dawadashi (12th day)  of the Kartika month, during the
waxing (bright) moon phase. The Ekadashi (11th day) before this is called Prabodini Ekadashi.
The Tulsi pot (brindavana) is decorated with rangoli and flowers. A branch of gooseberry (nelli kai) is inserted into the pot. Again, gooseberry has many medicinal values. The festival is celebrated in the evenings and lamps made with large goose berries (tops and bottoms are cut flat, and lamps are created) are lit around the pot. Arathi and prayers are offered.