Everything is done at an auspicious time!!!!
Applying oil "Hisa Thel Gama"
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| Daynews (2005) |
This is a very special day for all Sinhalese and Tamils where their main objective is to get more life as the statement called "120 ta 220 k Aubo Wewa!!". It is advisable to anoint the juice of nuga leaves on the head at 7.08A.M. on 15th of April 2012 while standing on karanda leaves, with nuga leaves hanging over one's head. The person being annointed with oil should be facing the East, while the recommended colour of dress is in gold color.
This very valuable activity is mostly doing in Buddhist Temples like Kaluthara Bodhi, Bellanvila, Dalada Maligawa and others where there is small village temples by a thera. The above places are famous for applying oil. If not in villages the oldest person is applying oil to the head of all who are coming at that time as figure represent in the right side. Author went to the village temple for this enviable task.
14-04-2012
Games Associated with Sinhala & Tamil New Year
The sinhala & tamil new year is looking forward about the happy
and participation while sharing the expressions with each other but specially
with the children because of the fun and games associated with their life.
There are many traditional games people play during the festive season and more
often than not they start before the dawn of the new year and continues till
long after.
The sound of crackers,nila,ahasgundu as well as the raban and
joyous laughter , especially of children mingles with the melodious call of the
koel during the season.
1. Pancha Keiya
This is a very popular game among Sinhaleese. Pancha is played with five small seashells, a coconut shell, and a chart. Players are divided into two groups.
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| Associationklz.sitew (2012) |
| Daynews (2005) |
2. Onchili pedeema
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| Author (2007) |
3. Kanamutti bideema
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| Author (2012) |
4. Puting the eye to the elephant
This is a very joyful activity where small ones like to put the eye on a image of an elephant. Most of them are putting it on the tail or stomach but at last a one will be able to put the eye at the correct place.  |
| Author (2012) |
Olinda Keliya is know as Mancala game uses a wooden board (olinda kolombuwa/poruwa) which has several holes. Normally played by 2 players where 9 holes are placed 4 beads each.Olinda seed's sting behind bright red and black.Players shift the beads from a hole to the other and collect seeds found in the hole quickly after an empty one. When the most seeds collected person becomes the winner of this game.
16-04-2012
This can be done after having a Nestomolte/ Laogi tea as this is very interesting and hard activity. But at the end there will be a winner who picks the flag from that grased pole. Some avrudu ulelas are doing this individually/ grouply.
7. Beating the rabana "Dontha babakkata denna deyakna
Pettagamak uda thutu dekak atha"
 The bench rabana which is used for raban playing is a large one, which is supported on 4 wooden legs about a foot in height. The players, mainly woman, about 4 in number, sit around the rabana and play in unison, using their hands, as well as the head etc to make interest among the audience. Very often the players sing raban pada which indicate the beat that has to be played.This is taken place in each and every raban competition. There are men too who take part in this by playing the drums. The drum is heated before the session begins,so that it will give a melodious tone when beaten.There were women and men who have been taken part in this activity in the 2012 Sooryamangalya in Kaluthara. And also the small children are willing to play the rabana to different raban pada. |
8. Balloon
This is common to the children age between 8- 12 years. This is bringing interest to the audience and in the noon this is bring the winners easily.
9. Bun
The bun are hanging on a thread where the participants have to eat them without touching from there hands. Its little bit danger with the teeth too.
11.Porapol geheema
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| Author (2008) |
9. Bun
The bun are hanging on a thread where the participants have to eat them without touching from there hands. Its little bit danger with the teeth too.
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| Author (2008) |
10. Bicycle
This is held for both parties female and male which is mostly sponsored by DSI for the sooryamangalya with the bicycles/ Tyre. And partisipants are given a particular millage where they have to cover the area by riding the bicycle.  |
| Author (2011) |
This involves two teams, each taking turns to throw a coconut until all the nuts on one side are broken. The winning nut will be kept in the temple. This game is very famous in the southern part of the country, especially in Matara and Devundara. During ancient times, only king coconuts were used, but nowadays with the demand and price of the king coconuts,the coconuts are used. The popular belief is that the origin of this game dates beyond the advent as a gift from the Buddhism.
Hook Tagging (Angkeliya) and Coconut Striking (Pora Pol) are two games that have religious overtones. These are starting with the blessings of Goddess Pattini and usually held when infectious diseases are around or when there is a longer drought in the area. The village is divided into two sections along a water way/some natural boundary and naming the 2 teams as ‘Yati Pila’ and ‘Udu Pila’. In Pora Pol two types of coconuts are needed one in the shape of a Rugger ball and having a very hard shell, the other a normal round one. A coconut is thrown at a contestant in the opposite side. The ultimate winning side is the one that has least number of chipped nuts.
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| Sundayobserver (2011) |
Ang Keliya is ritualistic game to invoke the blessings of Goddess Pattini. The origin of this was a tussle between Pattini and Palanga, when they were plucking Sapu flowers. The two hooks got entangled and when they tugged, Palanga’s hook gave way and Pattini won.
Gudu Keliya is another game played mostly by the smaller children. A propelling stick about two and a half feet long and a smaller one about six inches in length called the kuttiya are used.These games go on for 7 days at the end of which there is a Gam Maduwa (a ritual dance performance) and an alms giving on the next day which the whole village partakes, without any sort of class or creed distinction. In the evening there is further dancing and sometimes even fire walking.
Many new items such as Beauty Queen Contests, Fancy dress competitions, pillow fighting, various kinds of races such as bicycle, lime and spoon, sack, three legged etc are included. To give the festivities a national flavor and also to attract adults, competitions in coconut scraping, weaving of coconut fronds, reciting verses etc. have also been added.
According to author, throughout the Sinhala and Tamil New Year when the performance of various activities connected with auspicious times have been successfully concluded, it is time for festivities and games. What is special here is that very frequently, the whole family joins in. Under normal conditions, during the year, the parents have no time to join their children, playing games. The father is at job, so is the mother, if not outside the house, at least within it, attending to the various household responsibilities. But New Year changes this pattern.
And so, most of the Sinhalese and Tamils must be eagerly counting the days to the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year as it is one of the many festivals which brings fun for everybody to enjoy themselves by playing the games while tasting the mouth with traditional sweet meats.
SWEET wishes
for a SWEET person
from a SWEET living being.....
for a SWEET motive
at a SWEET instance
on a SWEET day
in a SWEET year........
Have a SWEET Sinhala and Tamil new year...................
for a SWEET person
from a SWEET living being.....
for a SWEET motive
at a SWEET instance
on a SWEET day
in a SWEET year........
Have a SWEET Sinhala and Tamil new year...................
