Ayubowan! 🙏
The Sinhala Tamil New Year is particularly important for the Sri Lankan community, as it marks the end of a year and the beginning of a new year in Sri Lankan culture.
This is also considered a unique cultural festival in Sri Lanka. The reason for this is that within the New Year rituals, several very important roles that are embedded in the Sri Lankan identity, a set of rituals, are enacted over several days. There are several features that are very different from the New Year that we talk about in the world today, which begins on December 31 midnight.
The peak of fertility is seen in March and April, when flowers and fruits, a gift of the natural environment, bear fruit. Also, many animals often reproduce and give birth before April. The sun rises in Sri Lanka often in late March or early April. Therefore, this is no longer a nominal New Year celebration. It is the dawn of a truly meaningful New Year for all living beings on Earth.
The scientific basis for this is that the Earth completes its orbit around the Sun, and the most accurate moment is considered to be the dawn of the New Year, calculated according to ancient astrological traditions.
In today’s world with such advanced technology, no other planet has yet been discovered that has life like “Puthuvi” (Earth), which has been explored thousands of light years away. That is, this position of the Earth from the Sun is a great miracle of the universe! Also, the position of the Sun and the attraction of the surrounding constellations is a unique situation. Accordingly, the position of the Sun on the Earth, transitioning from the last constellation of Pisces to the first constellation of Aries, is accepted as the “New Year’s Eve” in Sri Lankan culture.
It is studied further, and the time from Pisces to Aries is considered “nonagataya” (the interim period before the upcoming New Year). During this time, all work is abandoned, and religious activities are often engaged in. In this way, the mind and body become one at the moment of the New Year.
Then the arrival of the New Year is called “Sankrantiya” (the very first moment of the New Year).
The first duty that follows is to light the hearth in the house. It is often done by the mother of the house. Accordingly, the first task of the new year is to prepare food and drinks.
After that, the auspicious moments for “working, trading, and eating” take place in this order. These activities are often carried out by the father of the family. In doing so, it symbolizes the beginning of the economic activities for the new year.
In addition, festivals that include folk dances, folk games, folk songs, etc., can be seen in various provinces of Sri Lanka.
If you have been to Sri Lanka as a tourist or are planning to come, we suggest that you spend approximately one week in Sri Lanka between April 13 and 14, especially from April 11 to 15, as the best time frame for your trip to experience a new cultural experience that you have never experienced before.
We will meet again with another valuable gift that you have not seen or heard, but must experience in Sri Lanka, which is highly regarded by many around the world as a tourist landmark.
Thank you!
Asanka #truekandyan
