New Year messages:

‘The Year of Happiness’

Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena :

The simple life style lays the foundation for a contented life.

I consider it as a fortune to felicitate Sri Lankans releasing this message on this festive occasion.

The Sinhalese and Hindu New Year, which is widely known as the Bak Maha Festival, Vasantha Udanaya or Soorya Mangalyaya, is a national festival based on peace and harmony.

The New Year Day may be introduced as the symbol of unity and amity between the Sinhalese and the Hindus. It has been accepted by the members of the public that this New Year is unprecedentedly meaningful and glorious as the humanitarian operations are underway to salvage the country from the clutches of savage terrorism.

The history reveals the happiness enjoyed by our kings and ancestors as they used their hard-earned money and things independently. The government policy document, Mahinda Chinthana, which is underway at present, has further enhanced the New Year happiness.

This year has been declared as ‘The Year of Happiness’. The traditional folk consciousness has vividly indicated that the simple life-style brings happiness to a virtuous and righteous living.

The prime objective of this endeavour is to witness the dawn of a New Year devoid of the consumption of multifarious goods and hectic social life-style. The simple life style lays the foundation for a contented life.

The basic theme of this year’s program is to build our lives upon that foundation. Accordingly let us embark on a successful journey with the advent of this New Year.

During this season, the environment becomes pleasant and fruitful and the greenery surroundings make the hearts and minds of all the beings happy. While appreciating the beauty of the environment and its resourcefulness, we should uphold our traditional customs. This action would promote our national identity.

It is our responsibility as well as the bounden duty to bring our ancient traditional customs, games, folk religions, folk beliefs, etc., which had been centred - round with the offering of the sheaf of betel, to the present day without harming the national traditions coming down from times immemorial.

No one can dispense with it. I wish all Sri Lankans and the world a prosperous and happy New Year.