Celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year – A New Dawn in Sri Lanka

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The traditional New Year in Sri Lanka took place on the 13th and 14th of April this month and as usual, it was a time of many festivities. Known as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, this annual cultural festival is especially celebrated by the country’s Buddhist and Hindu communities who engage in a variety of time-honoured rituals and traditions.

Referred to as “Aluth Avurudu” in Sinhala and “Puthandu” in Tamil, the Sri Lankan New Year is marked by a national holiday on those two days. This period also sees Sri Lanka resort and hotel properties the likes of Habarana Village by Cinnamon offering traditional New Year games, activities and meals for guests. Apart from following rituals like boiling milk at an auspicious time, this period is marked by the making of such dishes as milk rice or pongal. Also popular are sweetmeats including kavum, kokis, asmi and laddu.