Special Cultural Traditions of the Sinhala Hindu New Year in Sri Lanka

 

Special Cultural Traditions of the Sinhala Hindu New Year in Sri Lanka.

The "Sinhala Hindu New Year" is one of the most important cultural festivals in Sri Lanka. The beginning of this spring series of events is the rising of the sun to the equator on March 21st, followed by the rising of the sun. According to the agricultural culture ,After sowing and reaping the harvest of the Maha season, the Sun Festival is celebrated with the offering of the sun that helped to obtain that harvest. Simultaneously, Sinhalese and Hindus come together to perform various rituals.

Thus there are many New Year rituals that are performed in the New Year and many different values ​​embedded in them. These rituals are often based on the relationship between the family and its members.  This Sinhala Hindu New Year usually falls on the 14th of April. According to the "astrological chart" Then the ritual of "bathing" using the juice of the cassava plant for the old year is performed. What happens in that ritual is that all the work for the old year is completed and the new year is symbolized by the step.

They symbolize the coming of the Sun from Pisces to Aries as the beginning of the dawn of this year. Here, the ritual of "saving milk for the auspicious time" is to make a new stove with the participation of the whole family, It symbolizes the auspicious moment of the beginning of new activities. The so-called "transition period" is the time period during which the Sun moves from Pisces to Aries.It was a time used for religious activities.

"Eating for the auspicious day" can be introduced as a special New Year's celebration. The head of the family feeds the rest of the family first, and all of this is done in the same direction. This ritual is performed to family ties will continue to be strong from today onwards. The ancients introduced the "milk tree" as a symbol of fertility. There are many different symbols when it comes to the "ritual of anointing the head". There was also a strong belief that the head was the place where a person's energy was stored. at the end of the Sinhala Hindu New Year, according to an auspicious time, the ritual of anointing the head before leaving work is performed. all the people of the village come together in one place and after anointing the head of a religious leader of the village, the religion is commemorated. Based on the concept the mother mixes rice, dried chillies, red onions, salt cubes, a copper coin wraps it in a piece of cloth, puts it in the well, and then takes home a bottle of water from the well. This is a unique tradition that has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation. After this, according to the astrological signs, one goes in a certain direction and leaves for work in this new year.

Nirmani B Colambage