Sinhalese New Year
| Sinhala New Year | |
|---|---|
"Aluth Awurudu" festival sweetmeats including kavum, kokis, and kiribath (milk rice) | |
| Official name | Sinhala: අලුත් අවුරුද්ද Aluth Awurudda |
| Observed by | Sinhalese worldwide |
| Type | Cultural |
| Celebrations | Games, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives, prayer |
| Observances | The observed movement of the sun from Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) Marks the end of the harvest season |
| Date | 13 or 14 April, an auspicious date in the month of Bak (April) (by the Shalivahana era) |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | South and Southeast Asian solar New Year, Puthandu |
Sinhalese New Year, generally known as Aluth Awurudda (Sinhala: අලුත් අවුරුද්ද) in Sri Lanka, is a Sri Lankan holiday that celebrates the traditional New Year of the Sinhalese people. The timing of the Sinhala New Year coincides with the new year celebrations of many traditional calendars of South and Southeast Asia; thus, the festival has close semblance to other South and Southeast Asian New Years. The event is marked by two official public holidays. It is generally celebrated on the 13th or 14 April and traditionally begins at the sighting of the new moon. Following the holidays, most shops and businesses close for about a week as families and communities come together to celebrate.
The New Year in Sri Lanka is a traditional solar festival celebrated in mid-April, marking the transition of the sun from Meena Rashiya (Pisces) to Mesha Rashiya (Aries). It signifies the end of one solar year and the beginning of a new one, based on Sri Lankan astrological traditions.
The festival is closely linked to Sri Lanka’s agricultural cycle, as the main harvesting season traditionally ends in late March. As an expression of gratitude, the first portion of the harvest is symbolically offered to major religious institutions, including the Sri Maha Bodhi, the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Ruwanweli Maha Seya in Anuradhapura, and various Hindu temples.
A distinctive feature of the festival is Nonagathaya, a neutral period between the old and new years, during which work, business, and normal daily activities are stopped nationwide. During this time, people engage in religious observances, visit temples, and focus on spiritual and cultural practices. In many households, eating is also avoided as part of this observance.
Other traditional rituals include bathing with herbal oils for physical and spiritual cleansing, lighting the hearth at an astrologically determined time, and preparing and sharing traditional foods such as kiribath. The New Year also includes rituals for beginning work, financial transactions, and meals at nationally fixed auspicious times, symbolizing a collective fresh start.
Although primarily associated with the Sinhalese community, the festival is also widely celebrated by Tamils protecting the inheritance of culture .