Most countries around the world mark the New Year
on January 1st. Yet around the world, there are many calendars celebrating
various days to welcome the New Year..
In Sri Lanka, new year celebrations start on 13th of April and
end in 14th of the month. Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The biggest celebration
in Sri Lanka that features a load of rituals and customs is one of the must
things to experience in your holiday on the island. Based on the sun’s movement
from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pieces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries)
Sri Lankan welcomes the new year in April with a lot of firecrackers, fireworks
and gourmet of traditional sweets…The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is also known
as the Sun Festival, a practice held for hundreds and hundreds of years now to
honor the God of the Sun.
Aurudu meals
When families clean and paint their houses, buy
new clothes and presents for family members, preparations for this great
festival start weeks in advance.
The new clay
pot in which the milk will be boiling on New Year's Day is a very significant
purchase.
Traditional sweetmeats such as Kavum (small oil cakes), Kokis (a crisp, crunchy
sweetmeat), Aluwa (diamond shaped sweets made of rice flour), mung kavum and
many others are also prepared in advance and stored in readiness for the great
day. A cuckoo bird known as Koha (almost) is around
this moment in its mating season and the male's special mating call is regarded
as the harbinger of this festival.
Avurudu Rituals, Music and games
Presenting elders with a sheaf of Betel leaves and paying homage is a tradition observed in Sri Lanka, New Year included, on all significant occasions. Gifts are also exchanged and the remainder of the day is spent with members of the group visiting relatives and playing in New Year sports. A significant feature of the Avurudu celebrations is the Rabana, a large, flat drum, and it is played by groups of villagers, mostly women accompanied by lyrical versus raban pada.
Born and raised in beautiful villages all over the island, many in Sri Lanka leave their homes to find jobs in big cities. For all, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a time to return home and rejoice with relatives. People leave
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