Halting all routines to embrace refreshing ‘Avurudu’

It’s the season when we cherish the feel we get when others are fed with the food that’s made in our kitchens

However, despite the influence of colonialism, changing from the national dress to shirt and trouser and speaking in English, Sri Lankans still cherish the oil cakes, milk rice and the kokis that’s put on the table during the April 
New Year

Temple priests too encourage devotees to celebrate New Year, but they are also there to remind us that this is the best period of the year to promote the sharing culture

What’s so pleasing about the New Year is the spirit of sharing and giving. The sweetmeats made at home for the loved ones taste better in the mouths of the ‘other’-often the neighbour.

Avurudu (New Year) presents us with an opportunity to connect with tradition. This is the time of the year when there is a longing to get back home, even if that means driving a distance of over a 100 kilometres. Avurudu is best celebrated at home. Last year, two days before New Year, this writer was at a bus stop and a passenger was seen boarding a crowded bus in a mighty hurry. He just managed to squeeze onto the footboard of the vehicle. He was heard saying, ‘The thought of going home gives me all the energy to endure any hardship’. That’s the spirit of the New Year!
Unlike on any other occasion, there is so much energy associated with this annual celebration. No stone is left unturned in the task of cleaning and decorating our homes. What can be changed from old to new is done without entertaining thoughts of being ‘stingy’. In this era, where internet and smartphones users rule the roost, the New Year gives the message to slow down. People are presented with the time to shift focus on becoming receptive to needs of humans and the society. The New Year doesn’t afford us opportunities to deliver ‘new’ items on to the table. But it presents us with a break that’s refreshing enough to reinvent ourselves and become ‘new’ individuals. 
The British, during the colonial years, taught us the value of tradition. Our colonial rulers also introduced a British way of thinking and living to the islanders; who only received independence in 1948 after being conquered in 1796. However, despite the influence of colonialism, changing from the national dress to shirt and trouser and speaking in English, Sri Lankans still cherish the oil cakes, milk rice and the kokis that’s put on the table during the April New Year. 
What’s so pleasing about the New Year is the spirit of sharing and giving. The sweetmeats made at home for the loved ones taste better in the mouths of the ‘other’-often the neighbour. It’s the season when we cherish the feel we get when others are fed with the food that’s made in our kitchens. 
Some of the advertisements made for the television underscore the spirit of the New Year. There was once an advertisement where a little boy in the house is not encouraged to share the sweetmeats on the table with neighbours. We are meant to understand that these are hard times and the house is surviving on a low budget. A desperate lad then fetches a tin of biscuits from inside the home, goes out and distributes the contents among friends. In no time, neighbouring friends appear at his doorsteps carrying goodies and presents in return. Though the advertisement is meant to promote a certain brand of biscuits, the spirit of sharing during New Year overshadows the effort taken to enhance sales and marketing.  
The nonakatha period (a period which is considered inauspicious) is spent in the temple or at home, engaging in religious observances. For a short period of time even the most ambitious of people slowdown and give way to the tradition of honouring nonakatha. This is an era where nothing stops individuals steeped in a high-tech world. But this is a period to stop and reflect. 
And visiting the temple has its significance of reminding us of one of life’s most important lessons. That lesson is that religion is the man’s last refuge. Temple priests too encourage devotees to celebrate New Year, but they are also there to remind us that this is the best period of the year to promote the sharing culture. 
The Avurudu will dawn on Monday (April 14) and usher in a new beginning. Let’s hope that the presence of happiness, peace and prosperity be unbounded.