Celebrating New Year

by Prasad Abu Bakr

Every year around this time the country goes into a festive mood with an auspicious backdrop to the entire sc enario that dawns on the 13th of April and continues for over a week.

Though it all starts with many religious observances,

 like any other New Year celebrated anywhere in the world it all ends up with fun and frolic especially amongst children and youth. Every village and town in the days gone by and at present even in Colombo and its suburbs the New Year is celebrated in the form of fun and games bringing together communities of different faiths and ethnic identities.

As the transition of the old year into the new year takes place all activities in homes around the country comes to a halt. Many spend their time observing religious activities while awaiting the new year to arrive.

Auspicious times are stretched throughout the week stating different times for different activities such as consuming of food, anointing of oil on the head, which is generally done by a senior member of the family or the village. Bathing for the new year too has its time and place, speaking to the elders by offering a sheaf of betel leaves is the customary thing done by every young member of the family.

Exchanging of monies, generally placed on a betel leaf (the leaf which is considered auspicious at most local ceremonies such as weddings etc) comes to play its part right throughout the new year season.

Most part of the season comes to a wrap-up with the auspicious time of people stepping out to set to work. In fact almost 70% of Colombo's work force comes from outside this vast metropolis and days before the new year sets in most of them if not all, leaves for home to celebrate the event with their friends and family.

So it is not until that day and time which is considered auspicious for setting out to work that most of who left Colombo before the new year would return and the city itself in return will get back to its normal pace.

Featured here are some of the events that takes place during this time of the year and as captured by many of our staff photographers in the past found in the files of our photo library here at Lake House.

 

Bicycle races can be seen all over the country, even long after new year festivities comes to a close.	Welcoming the new year with some Raban bashing is more than customary. Here some tots at the Rabana. .	Tots at a balloon blowing contest.	Scraping of coconut too stands as a race
Enjoying the first meal of the new year.	‘Goni Race’ as shown here is a bit of a Kangaroo act that can win you some prize or another.	‘Haal Garanawa’ females get into competition with each other at washing of raw rice before it is placed on the fire.	Weaving of coconut palms too has its competitive edge this season.
Playing ‘Raban’ too becomes competitive	The crowning beauty of the season ‘Avurudu Kumari’	| The rarely seen event. Elephant Races	Pillow Fighting or ‘Kotta Pora’ to prove one man’s strength over the other.