Sri Lankan Sinhala and Tamil New Year 2017
Sri Lankan Sinhala and Tamil New Year 2017
The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a significant national holiday in Sri Lanka and is celebrated across the island with great grandeur. The marking of the event as a national festival is unique to the island and is not to be missed if your Sri Lankan tour coincides with the celebrations. In 2017 the Sinhalese New Year falls on the 14th of April.
The New Year is known as Aluth Avurudu in Sinhala and Puthandu in Tamil and celebrates the moving of the sun from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries. The event typically takes place on the 14th of April each year and the joyous mood that sweeps the island running up to the celebrations is palpable.
Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078
Sinhala New Year celebrations
In the weeks leading up to the New Year it is customary to repaint the house, clean all the rooms and remove unwanted items. New clothes are also purchased around this time and sweetmeats are prepared. At a specified time (which is chosen to bring good fortune for the coming year) the traditional oil lamp is lit.
On the day prior to the New Year the Sinhalese people take their last bath of the year. All work related activities are ceased and people involve themselves with spiritual activities such as visiting the temple.
The New Year dawns with the sound of firecrackers and the beating of the Rabana – a traditional Sri Lankan drum. The Sinhala households come to life as everyone prepared for the New Year rituals to follow.
Again, at a predetermined time the lady of the household first worships and then lights the hearth. The direction in which the hearth faces changes from year to year and once lit it is customary to cook the traditional dish of Kiribath or boil a pot of milk as the family watch on.
Next the family have their first meal of the year at the Avurudu table, where various sweetmeats and delicacies have been laid out. First, the head of the family shares out the Kiribath (the traditional New Year dish) to the other family members around the table and then the oil lamp is lit to mark the start of the feast.
After the New Year meal the younger family members show respect to their elders by offering sheaves of betel. In return the elders bless them and give them money – the first financial transaction of the New Year known as Ganu Denu.
Next, it is traditional to exchange sweets amongst neighbours and visit friends and family to strengthen relationships for the New Year.
At a specified time the anointing oil ritual is performed either at home or at the temple. The ritual blesses the person and purifies both mind and body. This is done by the head of the family or chief of the temple who stands on leaves and flowers while chanting verses.
Once all the customary rituals are complete the celebrations move out onto the streets where fun activities and traditional games are played among family and friends in a joyous atmosphere.
Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078
Immerse yourself in Sri Lankan culture
Contact us if you’d like your tour to coincide with a particular Sri Lankan festival or celebration, such as Sinhala and Tamil New Year. We specialise in tailor-made holidays to Sri Lanka so pride ourselves in delivering the perfect tour for you.
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php on line 396
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php on line 396
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php on line 396
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php on line 396
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /mnt/data/vhosts/theuniquetravel.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php on line 396
