Aluth Avurudu is round the corner!
by Sapumali GALAGODA
The Koel bird announces the coming of the New Year in late March when
all the trees be it flowers or fruits are full. Farmers in the village
harvest paddy and get ready to celebrate the New Year, while the
matriarch of the house starts making plans to usher in the Avurudu from
mid-March itself.
In the early days, she even extracted oil from coconuts to make the
sweetmeats, that are made during the festive season. Today she will
clean the house and buy the necessary ingredients to make the
sweetmeats.
Once all the sweetmeats including athirasa, mung-kevum, konda-kevum
and kokis are made.
She will put them in pots and store them for the festival. Rituals
connected with the New Year commences with the bathing on the last day
of the Old Year (Parana Avurudda) and viewing the moon on the same
night.
The Sinhala Avurudu or the New Year dawns when the Sun moves from
Meena Rashi to Mesha Rashi completing twelve-months.
The transition time know as Sankranthi (Punya Kaalaya) or Nonagathaya
takes place on April 13 or 14. It is during this period that families go
to temple, accrue merit and get the blessings of the Sangha.
It is said that during this time it is not good to engage in any
work. Prior to this the lady of the house will finish the cooking and
clean the hearth. During this time partaking of meals is also
prohibited. Therefore food should be eaten before the dawn of the
Nonagathaya.
The dawn of the New Year is announced with the lighting of crackers,
then the mother of the house gets into action to boil the milk and also
make kiribath. At the auspicious time she will light the hearth looking
at the auspicious direction. Once the milk is boiled she will make the
kiribath in the new pot she purchased at the fair.
During the weda ellima nekatha, the children will study while the
mother will fetch a pot of water from the well after putting a coin and
some chillies.
The father of the house will plant a tree. Once all this is completed
the children offer betel and worship the elders while the elders will
give money and gifts.
The father of the house will feed kiribath to all at home and then
everybody can partake of the meal which consists of kiribath as well as
all other sweetmeats.
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