Sinhalese Aluth Avurudda in Sri Lanka

Sinhalese New Year, usually known as Aluth Avurudda in Sri Lanka. It is the new year of the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka. It is a major celebration among the most of the Sri Lankans. This day is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. The Aluth Avurudda is held on 13 or 14 April in every year and also the nakshatra date in the month of Bak.

The melodious songs such as Koo-ooo of the male bird called Cuckoo Bird can be heard throughout Sri Lanka during the breeding season of the bird that roughly spans from March to June Specially.

According to Sinhalese astrology, Aluth Avurudda begins from wend one's way of sun from Meena Rashiya to Mesha Rashiya. It also marks the end of the harvest and spring. As the paddy harvest season concludes for farming communities where you can mostly see in villages celebrate the traditional New Year as festival of harvest as well.

Various beliefs conceivably associated with fertility of the harvest and gave birth for many rituals, customs, and ceremonies connected with the New Year. Before the New Year Dawn people start with the cleaning of the house. However, unlike the celebration of the New Year at midnight on December 31, the Sinhalese traditional New Year begins at a time determined by astrological calculations.

Old year ends at midnight and New Year begins immediately afterwards; the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the New Year occur several hours apart from one another.

This span of time is usually 12 hours and 48 minutes, which starts when the sun starts to cross the astrological boundary between 'House of Pisces' and 'House of Aries' and ends when the crossing is complete. The halfway point is considered as the dawn of the New Year. This period is, referred to as the Nonagathe.

During this time Sri Lankans according to ritual, encouraged to refrain from material search, and engage solely in either religious spiritual activities to carry out the Bodhi Pooja or Adishtana Pooja.

Cultural rituals begin shortly after the beginning of the Sinhala New Year all the families as one carries out variety of rituals in exact timings of which are determined by astrological calculations from lighting the fire to making the Kiribath (milk rice) to entering into the first business transaction and eating the first meal. Also lighting of an oil lamp is performed by the eldest of the families to demonstrate the brightness is surrounded in the New Year with peace and harmony in smiling faces.

In the New Year some women gather together to play upon the Raban to announce the initial change in the year. The rituals vary slightly based on the locale. However the core of the celebrations remains the same. The approach of the each auspicious time for various rituals is indicated by the unmistakable sign of very loud lighting of the crackers.

Although loud firecrackers are an environmental concern, and a safety danger, especially for children, this remains an important part of the celebrations throughout Sri Lanka.

Once the important rituals are done, the celebrations begin as families come together in the streets, homes and children are let out to play. The extent of outdoor activities depends largely on the neighborhood. The uptown communities tend to have such social gatherings. The celebrations are given wide coverage and support from state owned media as well as private media.