Renewing ancient bonds

Lionel Wijesiri

Milk boils over as a sign of prosperity

The Sinhala Aluth Avurudda, which we are celebrating, is the only solar festival of the Sinhalese based on the transition of the Pisces to Aries of the Zodiac. That is why it is known as the Surya Mangalya or the festival of the Sun.

During the New Year festival, the respect for ancestral ways, backed by rites and rituals, customs and traditions has opened our vision to understand that it is important to adhere to basic principles of morality.

It is a festival which conveys to us the simple way of life possessed with good sentiments including the maintenance of social order. It is also a festival which communicates to us the value in all matters needed to maintain peace and prosperity among the community.

Thus this national annual festival in April has made every householder begin a new life with a new outlook in the ensuing year by lulling hatred in fullness of spirit.

The New Year observances and festivities begin with the lighting of the hearth at the auspicious time. The whole family clad in new clothes, eats together the meal also at the auspicious time. They next exchange gifts. The celebrations take a group form when villages get together to play the traditional games.

The women folk participate in indoor games or play Raban. The festival atmosphere tasks for a number of days and during this time people visit relations and friends with Kavum, Kokis and other sweets with various gifts. The festivities end with the anointing of the oil ceremony where at the auspicious time an elder anoints the young with the oil invoking the blessings of God. There are auspicious times to go for work and watch the new moon.

Riding the swing (Onchili Padeema) is a popular activity among women during the Avurudu season

A traditional Avurudu table

The other customs to be observed during the New Year festival are (1) looking at the moon to mark the New Year, (2) bathing to mark the passing year, (3) Punya Kalaya, (4) anointing the head with Nanu or herbal medicated oil and bathing thereafter (5) leaving home for work in the New Year.

The Aluth Avurudda is part of our rich cultural heritage. It is full of customs and traditions. Who can be indifferent to the loss of this incomparable legacy?

Traditions are important- and we may not realize that some of the same things we do every year are traditions, but they carry on year after year. Why are these traditions so significant?

1) They provide us a sense of comfort. Because traditions are familiar, we know what to expect because the tradition has been repeated over time. There is no surprise or anything new. We have fond memories of the last time we participated and we feel a sense of security.

2) They bring people closer together. The festival gives families a reason to come together and celebrate. Even families fraught with interpersonal issues may put their grievances aside for a short time to honour the tradition.

3) They give us a sense of belonging. Because everyone is celebrating the same tradition, we immediately have a lot in common with those around us. We are a part of the community because we know all the rituals surrounding the tradition and engage in them as a group.

4) Traditions remind us of the past and our heritage. So many times we are so eager to move forward that we forget the important things that brought us to the present. Many traditions point us to important principles, not just an event; these principles are what define our family.

Traditions tell us something about our family that may not be evident to us. By looking back at what traditions we have had in the past, it helps us to see what our ancestors saw as first principles, and helps us understand who we are as a family.

A traditional Avurudu game

5) They give us legacies to carry on. We have to ask ourselves few questions. What type of legacy are we leaving for your children? What do we want our children to carry on in their families? When we look at the answers to these questions, we may want to think about developing some traditions within our family. In today’s world of chaos and anxiety, families need an anchor that will give them some sense of stability- and traditions are a great way to give anchors in the storms of life. Stephen Covey writes about imagining yourself at your own funeral, and trying to listen to the stories that people would say about you. What will people say about your family, and the legacies you share? It is never too late to begin some positive, life changing experiences that your family will carry on for many years.

6) They give us an opportunity to serve. Many of the holiday traditions centre around serving our fellow men. Although this would be a great thing to do year round, we tend to think of service around the holiday time. Why not use that as a springboard for service even after the holidays? We must watch for opportunities to help people with food, clothing and life’s necessities- all the time.

7) Our traditions will give us an opportunity to pass on what is most important to us. What is more important than passing on to our children the legacy of caring and love for others? Many traditions have come down to us through the ages because they are ingrained in our history and culture. For thousands of years our ancestors, the inhabitants of this island built up a highly organised agrarian civilization based on the principles of harmonious co-existence with nature, non-violence, tolerance and peace.

The Aluth Avurudda demonstrates our national ethos with its characteristic emphasis of the renewal and reaffirmation of goodwill within families and among neighbours and in the series of ritualistic customs, practices and observances that are meant to revitalize an essential link between man and nature.