The Sinhala and Tamil New Year or the Aluth Avurudda (shortened to Avurudu) is our way of connecting with Nature and thanking the Sun for shining on our lives 365 days a year. Based on the astrological phenomenon of the Sun’s transition from Pisces (Meena) and Aries (Mesha), it is actually a harvest festival that expresses our gratitude to nature in expectation of a bountiful year ahead. It is celebrated in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other countries and their Diasporas in many Western countries.
What makes Avurudu unique is the sense of community participation – an entire country engaging in one act such as lighting the hearth, partaking meals and worshipping elders at one moment in time. This paves the way for a sense of oneness that one cannot feel at any other national or religious event. It brings families – and a nation – together in a spirit of harmony. It is also a time to let bygones be bygones and start anew with our lives. Yes, it is time to forgive one’s enemies and renew bonds with one’s friends and relatives.
National festival
While the Avurudda is theoretically limited to Sinhala and Tamil, or rather the Hindu communities, it has become a national festival in scope with all communities and religious groups coming on board. This is how it should be in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country such as Sri Lanka. Avurudu sweetmeats are freely shared among the neighbours, no matter what their ethnicity is. Avurudu Games are open to all, regardless of race and religion. That is the very spirit of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year whose underlying theme is harmony among all.
But even Avurudu cannot escape everyday realities. The world is currently in the grip of a dreaded virus called the Coronavirus, which has infected 135 million people worldwide, whilst causing close to three million deaths. This is a once-in-a-century event, the last such contagion (the Spanish Flu) having appeared exactly 100 years ago, killing more than 50 million people. Medical science has moved on since then, so we have been able to keep the death count down, but there is still no cure per se for viral diseases. Instead, we have vaccines, several of which have come on to the market in less than one year. Remember, the first case of the virus was officially recorded only in late December 2019 (Hence the moniker COVID-19), but it took less than three months for it to go around the world and paralyse life as we knew it. Most countries including Sri Lanka resorted to lockdowns to contain the spread of the disease which can be spread by airborne particles transmitted from person to person.
Avurudu in the times of Covid 19
Around 12 months ago, the entire country – and the world – was in such a strict lockdown. One of the biggest casualties of this strict lockdown was the biggest national festival of Sri Lanka – the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. It was strange, almost eerie, to herald Avurudu in without the traditional firecrackers, Raban sounds and festivities. Avurudu this time last year was a strictly family affair, sans relatives and friends. Yes, the entire nation did celebrate Avurudu, but at household level, not as a national ceremony per se.
This time, things look much more promising. The pandemic is still raging around the world (some countries have actually seen a massive increase in cases that is even worse than last year), but Sri Lanka has managed it remarkably well even after a second wave back in October last year that saw an exponential increase in the number of cases and even deaths. The credit for this success (Sri Lanka was placed 10th in a list of countries that had managed the pandemic best by the prestigious Lowy Institute of Australia) should go to the political leadership, the healthcare sector and the Security Forces/Police, who collectively devised very effective strategies to contain the runaway contagion.
Follow guidelines at all times
Thus Sri Lankans have earned the freedom to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year this time around, albeit under the “New Normal” circumstances. This means that we cannot still go back to 2019-level (now referred to as “Before Times”) of celebrations of any given national festival, unless the virus completely dissipates, which might not happen this year. Thus the freedom that we have gained through the hard work of our healthcare and Defence sectors must be enjoyed with responsibility and prudence.
First, we must make sure that we follow all the COVID-related health guidelines at all times. It is best if crowded venues can be avoided altogether. Many people were seen heading to crowded shopping centres to buy Avurudu gifts, which many doctors frowned upon. As one prominent doctor said “you have to select what is more important for you – new clothes for the family or their very lives”. That sums up the equation rather bluntly. In the same manner, we must avoid crowded Bak Maha Ulelas (New Year Festivals) where it will be next to impossible to maintain physical distancing (at least one meter apart from the next person), even though the attendees are supposed to be capped to 100. But this is more like to be observed in the breach once the festivities get going.
There could also be a tendency to let go of the mask in the midst of Avurudu revelry. Health authorities have warned against such complacency, noting that stern action would be taken against those who violate the health guidelines and laws. We have to take a cue from neighbouring India, where people let their guard down during several recent national festivals, leading to a massive spike in cases and deaths. This is a situation which we have to avoid at all costs as the Government already spends a massive amount of money on PCR Tests and other preventive measures. Any surge in cases at this point would place a huge burden on the healthcare system which has allocated most of its resources to fighting the pandemic. Thus organisers of all Avurudu festivals must strictly observe the restrictions and guidelines in place to ensure that the virus is kept at bay.
We must also be careful in visiting hometowns and other areas from the Western Province. There could be asymptotic carriers among us who could ‘gift’ the disease to the elderly and vulnerable relatives. Again, the Government has arranged random Rapid Antigen Tests for those leaving the Western Province to the other provinces. Those who are flagged down for these tests must cooperate with the authorities.
Even while at home celebrating the Avurudu, the health guidelines must be kept in mind. The frequent washing of hands is a must. It is also advisable to invite one’s relatives to visit at separate times instead of having them all at once. Yes, this could be more expensive, but one cannot take chances with this runaway virus. This arrangement could ensure physical distancing and some leeway in case one or more of them have the virus. The health authorities must be informed immediately if one or more persons in your household develop any symptoms associated with COVID-19 following such visits by relatives and friends.
By a happy coincidence, the start of Ramadan for the Muslim Community also falls on April 13. This is one of those juxtapositions that we experience in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious milieu. Ramadan, based on the Five Pillars of Islam Faith (Sahada), Prayer (Salat), Alms and Generosity (Zakat), Fasting (Sawm) and Pilgrimage (Hajj) is a holy period for Muslims the world over where they engage in activities connected to the above. Just like their Buddhist and Hindu brethren, they will have to face certain restrictions in terms of religious activity this year, but that is the price we have to pay to ensure the health and well-being of all.
All communities in Sri Lanka are still reeling from the shock generated by the dastardly Easter attacks that took place exactly two years ago. It is thanks to the Sri Lankans’ inherent belief in religious values that a massive bloodbath was averted on that occasion. Religious leaders worked hard to ensure that the attacks did not harm our very socio-religious fabric and they have succeeded to a great extent. In this context, the fact that all three major communities and religious groups in Sri Lanka are having a new beginning more or less on the same day is a happy omen for the future.
Looking ahead with optimism
This is the very premise and promise of the Avurudda – an all-new beginning. Granted, the previous year was a bad one, but we can look ahead with optimism to a brand New Year that will hopefully be a much better one. Let us hope that the Government’s vaccination campaign can fully inoculate all adults within this year (if all goes well at the current clinical trials abroad, schoolchildren too will be able to get the shot this year) so that we can achieve herd immunity and defeat the virus at its own game. That will make this Avurudda the most meaningful one in years, if not decades.
