Aluth Avurudu
Also called Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Puthandu
Sri Lanka's new year, timed down to the minute
What it is
April 13 and 14
Aluth Avurudu is the new year for both Sinhala and Tamil people in Sri Lanka, and it's when the sun moves into Aries. It also marks the end of the harvest. Astrologers pick lucky times for things like lighting the stove, eating the first meal and starting work, and families follow them closely.
How people celebrate
At the lucky time, families light the hearth and boil a pot of milk until it overflows.
Between the old and new year there's a 'neutral time' when people stop working and go to temple.
People play games like pillow fights on a pole, tug of war and kana mutti, where you break a clay pot blindfolded.
Someone in the house usually plays the raban, a big flat drum.
Younger people give older relatives betel leaves and ask for their blessings.
What people eat
- Kiribath
- Milk rice cut into diamond shapes, the first meal of the new year.
- Kavum
- Oil cakes made from rice flour and treacle.
- Kokis
- A crispy fried snack made with a flower-shaped iron mold.
- Kalu dodol
- A sticky sweet made from coconut milk and jaggery.
Did you know?
In Sri Lanka, people say that when the koha, or Asian koel bird, starts calling, the new year is close.