HAPPY SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR
This week marks the dawn of the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year.
Avurudhu celebrations in Sri Lanka coincide with the harvest. It is also the time of the transition of the Sun from the house of Pisces or Meena rashiya to the house of Aries or Mesha rashiya relating to the astrological calendar.
The day before the new year, all activities need to be completed before the ‘Nonagathe’ (or Neutral period) which is the inauspicious and unlucky time in between the Old Year and the New Year. People do not engage in any form of active work during this time. Instead, they visit places of worship engaging in peaceful religious activities
In the New Year. Houses are spring cleaned, gardens tidied, new attire stitched in the colour of the New Year and larders stocked with provisions. Days before, they make traditional sweetmeats, kavum , kokis etc. Some dig holes in the ground to bury bananas or blow smoke over them, to expedite ripening on time. Others are practising competitive activities such as Raban, Tug of War etc.
The customs associated with celebrating the dawn of the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year are steeped in tradition and include boiling of milk on the hearth, greeting with bulath leaves, feeding the family by the eldest, giving presents, giving gifts of food to neighbours, anointing the head with oil, visiting the temple or kovil.
Among musical traditions associated with the New Year are Raban playing and Virudu.
We present a Virudu clip featuring Mahendra Gonsalkorale and Ajantha Jayatunga with the lyrics written by Rasieka Jayatunga. Mahendra provides the Keyboard accompaniment and produced the video.
Nice to hear the Rabana which we hear only once a year.
ReplyDeleteWe too wish all of you a Happy Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
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ReplyDeleteWell done,my friend,one and only,multi talented Speedy Gonsale.I recollected the 12 zodiac sign that I remembered from my young days.My uncle was clever at drawing charts and auspicious time for wedding etc,in addition to his work as an Ayurvedic Physician.
ReplyDeleteMesha(Aries),Wurshabha(Taurus),Mithuna(Gemini),Kataka(Cancer),Singha(Leo),Kanya(Virgo),Thula(Libra),Wushshika(Scorpio),Dhanu(Sagitarius),Makara(Capricorn),Kumbha(Acquarius)Meena(Pisces).By the way,today is the beggining of Ramadan.It is a coincidence.
Thanks Sumathi. I have personally no belief whatsoever in Astrology. But many do and I recognise that. I like the custoems associated with New Year as it brings families and friends together and promotes social cohesion.
DeleteI too wish my Muslim colleagues a happy Ramadan.
Mahendra
ReplyDeleteGreat singer! Lovely song and article reminding us of the significance and the rituals of the Sinhala and Tamil New year.
May I wish all our batch mates A Very Happy Sinhala and Tamil New Year. May it be free of Corona ! Chira
Thanks, Chira. I Very much appreciate you taking the trouble to post a comment and wish everybody a happy New Year. All the best
DeleteMahendra, Ajantha and Rasieka , This is a very clever production - You have combined the complexities of music, meaningful and colourful visuals with a very clear, genuinely uniting message so fit for the New Year. It is a fine representation of the New Year celebrations in SL with commentary in languages even those of us who have sadly forgotten our mother tongue can grasp and re- learn ! Loved the viridu, the raban, the voices and all sounds so well modulated and balanced - A very complex, enjoyable, great production. Your talents are amazing- Thank you very much, and Happy New Year to you all.
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ReplyDeleteMahendra, Ajantha and Rasieka , This is a very clever production - You have combined the complexities of music, meaningful and colourful visuals with a very clear, genuinely uniting message in the fine lyrics. It is a comprehensive representation of the New Year celebrations in SL even those of us who have sadly forgotten our mother tongue can grasp and re- learn from ! Loved the viridu, the raban, the voices and all sounds so well harmonized. A very complex, enjoyable, great production. Your talents are amazing- Thank you very much, and Happy New Year to you all.
Thanks a lot Rohini. I enjoyed doing the video and providing the music through my Genos KB. I have done a separate comment with more details below. Take care.
DeleteMany thanks for your appreciation. This was part of a production we did on Zoom to raise money for Meththa, a charity in Sri Lanka who provide "limbs for the limbless. We usually have an away week end during which we do sponsored walks and other things to raise money but Lock down stopped us doing it this time. This is the website of the Charity for anybody who is interested.
ReplyDeletewww.meththafoundation.org.uk
A very talented trio. Congratulations! Ajantha and Rasieka were my former students in the 1970s in Colombo. When I moved to Ruhuna in September 1980,Rasieka was my firdt registrar. Bandara Panagamuwa invited me to be President of the Methth Rehabilitation Foundation.
ReplyDeleteIs it the Tamil New Year or Hindu New Year? Do Tamil Christians and Catholics, celebrate it?
ReplyDeleteLama,It is Sinhala and Hindu,purely because,other religious denominations do not consider the Astrological New Year as inportant as their religoius celebrations.The non Buddhist Sinhalese may celebrate as they may have Buddhist relatives.Our Muslims brothers celebrate Ramadan as their begging of the Islamic new year.First of January is the accepted near in the Western World.Hindus celebrate Devali(return of Rama from exile) in North India and thaipongal in South India.Our Hindu colleagues may be able to correct me about the Hindu festivals.
ReplyDeleteI think it is correct to say that it is Sinhala and Tamil New year without associating it particularly with any religion but on the other hand, it is closely associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, and less with other religions. As Sumathi said, there is implied belief in Astrology which is strictly speaking neither Buddhist nor Hindu. There are a lot of Sri Lankans who believe in Astrology irrespective of their religions. I certainly know many Sinhala Christians who observe the Sinhala and Tamil New year who are Christians. Belief and rituals are associated and closely intermingled with culture.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it is a good sign that so few have commented on the new year greetings as I interpret it as they are all busy and engaged in fulfilling activities. Thanks Sumathipala, Rohini and Sanath for you comments
ReplyDeleteI have already acknowledged Chitra’s comment of course and Sumathi, you became Sumathipala, thanks to auto correction!
ReplyDeleteSpeedy,I have done a Google search about the name"Sumathi",for the first time.In Sanskrit the name means,"wise,good mind,Shobhana mati-good or beautiful mind/memory.In Sanskrit,and south Indian lanuages Sumathi(Sumati is a girls name.In Hindu epic,Mahabarata it was the name of King Sagara's second wife.
ReplyDeleteIn the Astrological/horoscope,meaning of Sumathi:Sumathi means,name with number 1.Your ruling planet is the sun.You have an attractive personality with a magnetic charm.You are strong and desire to be a uperman/superwoman as the vitality and physical energy in you gives you a great drive in life.You are incredibly active & sociable,so you make lot of friends.You enjoy outdoor activities& sports.Tends to have friends and people in position of power.Good connections to the Government,clever,spectacular;often flashy and successful.A whole series of love and relationships awit you.
Independanty:You tend to be a self-motivated,go-getter who loves a bit of challenge.You thrive on adrenaline,and are impatient when things get bogged down.Your strenth lies in the ability to try new things and re-group when necessary.
Dark side?A little bit of a know it-all.
It's the 18th today and I apologise sincerely for not having visited the Blog and having missed all the Avurudu fun the Blog has provided us with incorporating so much variety. It's never too late to appreciate the Baila which is so nostalgic of our years in Sri Lanka. Avurudu was something we celebrated. I shall really enjoy the 'missed goodies' and thanks a lot! No need for excuses but at my age, no two days are similar and 'off days' are many. But I do have a couple of piano pieces to share with batchmates. I do them particularly when I don't feel well! Zita
ReplyDeleteI am sure you meant virudu and not baila Zita. Wish you and your family all 5hr best
ReplyDeleteYes, it could easily be! I remember my father and his friends having baila or virudu competitions. It was amazing! You've got to know the language very well to bring out 'replies' on the spur of the moment. And do you remember the rabana competitions? These were not really competitions but the ladies always tried to outdo their fellow players!
DeleteMahen and friends, thank you for this very enjoyable visual and musical treat. I apologise for my late wishes, but I wish all my friends happiness and prosperity in the years ahead. Regarding the discussion above, whether the festivities are religious or secular, Christians may have stepped away from the celebrations during the times of the British rule, but speaking from my family's experience we always had the kiribath, kavun and kokis! Having grown up in Colombo, maybe the raban playing and other activities were not always observed. We didn't always observe the auspicious (nakath) times for cooking the kiribath etc. but enjoyed some of the traditions. Even now my siblings celebrate, but to different degrees. Zita, don't feel bad, you are not the last to comment!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Srianee! Often the Christians missed out on the fun. Our family didn't. My grandmother only became a Christian when she got married. So we had both cultures!
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