Sri Lankan mission in Ankara celebrates new year

By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA (AA) – The Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara on Monday celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year with cultural events following new COVID-19 restrictions.

The event was held at the embassy premises in Ankara with limited participation from the media and embassy officials.

“According to the beliefs, the New Year marks the movement of the Sun from the zodiac house of ‘Pisces’ to the house of ‘Aries’,” said Ambassador Mohamed Rizvi Hassen.

“Further, Sri Lanka was a country mainly relying on agriculture and this period marks the ending of one phase of the main harvesting season,” he added.

He hoped the new year will bring peace, prosperity, economic development, and a healthier society in Sri Lanka while noting that the New Year is a national event celebrated at all corners of the country by all religious and ethnic groups.

Generally, the New Year falls on April 13 or 14, but the country celebrates it with several rituals and events for a week till the first day of the new year.

As part of the country’s tradition, the embassy welcomed the new year by boiling milk in a new pot, with the spillover of milk from all sides of the pot symbolizing prosperity.

Attendees also had a chance to test Sri Lanka’s traditional food.