Happy New Year!!!

Hi, everyone and I wish you a very happy New Year filled with prosperity and fortune. And no, I'm not joking or drunk, it actually is New Year in many South Asian calendars and that includes the Sri Lankan one too. 

Now why exactly do we celebrate New Year in the middle of the year? The answer lies in Astrology - today marks the day when the Sun travels from the Pisces constellation (last of the list) to the Aries constellation (first of the list). So, repeat after me, Suba Aluth Awuruddak Wewa! Now you can wish someone a happy New Year in Sinhala (Fun fact: You can use it on January 1st too). But you can say Eséma wewa! when you want to reply, it's literally "same to you".

Now this event means much more to Sri Lankans, even more than January 1st. Each year, a list of auspicious times is released and presented to the President by the Ministry of Buddhist Religion and Cultural Affairs (Yes, this is a very big deal) and this list is called the Nakath Seettuwa, meaning literally List of Auspicious Times. This year's list is like this (times in GMT +5:30):

• Sighting of the new moon for the new lunar year, seen on Sunday, April 23.
• Bathing for the Old Year: Bathing for the Old Year falls on April 12, 2023.
• Dawn of the 2023 New Year: The Sinhala and Tamil New Years dawn on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 02.59 a.m.
• Inauspicious Time (Punya Kalaya) is on Friday, April 14th, from 8.35 a.m. to 9.23 p.m. on that day.
• Preparing traditional meals for the New Year: The auspicious time to prepare meals begins on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 3.29 a.m., dressed in colourful clothing and facing the south. Prepare your first traditional meal for the New Year.
• Starting work, transactions, and having meals: Starting work, transactions, and consuming meals should begin at 05:05 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023, dressed in colourful costumes. This time, you also have to look towards the south to start the work.
• Anointing the head with oil: On Sunday, April 16, 2023, at 09.41 a.m., dress in red and yellow mixed colours, face the south, and bathe with oil.
• Leaving for occupations: On Sunday, April 17th, 2023, at 6:28 a.m., dressed in white clothes.

So, as you can see, it's a ton of fun. And I won't be keeping myself an awful lot of time away. So, until next time, have a great time.