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beliefs, the rituals, the festivities A majority of the people being farmers, these celebrations, after gathering the harvest also come in the form of a thanksgiving to the deities for the prosperity bestowed on them, similar to the spring festivals in the west. The rituals and customs observed today have evolved over the years and portray the beliefs of the Sinhalese. Not only do women play a prominent role during the Aluth Avurudda but they are also very much a part of the agricultural activities. They, alongside their menfolk, take on arduous tasks transplanting paddy throughout the day in the muddy fields under a scorching sun, pounding the paddy using mortar and pestle, preparing meals for their husbands in addition to ably handling their household work. Before the Avurudu celebrations they concoct special meals and sweetmeats and also shop for new clothes and gifts not only for their families but also for friends. Young girls engage in olindakeli, an indoor game connected to the Pattini Devi cult -- worshipping and paying respects to ideal womanhood following the description of how Pattini protected her chastity in the Pattini Hella text -- or swing high and low on the onchilla, to the accompaniment of verses. During the Kandyan Kingdom, the Aluth Avurudda was celebrated as a national festival under the patronage of the king. The astrologers worked out nekath (auspicious) times for the rituals to bring about prosperity and happiness for the people in the New Year. The rituals commence with a bath on the last day of the old year, followed by the viewing of the moon the same night, with the times being signalled by the pealing of the temple bell and the beating of hewisi drums. During Sankraanthi -- the transitional period when people believe there are no auspicious times – falls the nonagathe or punya kalaya when all work is stopped and temples are visited to get the blessings of the Sangha. The
belief in the arrival of the Avurudu Kumaraya attired in princely
clothes gives the idea of the dawn of Aluth Avurudda. The colour
of his clothing varies from year to year, denoting the colour meant
for that particular celebration. Another meal is cooked along with a hath maaluwa, seven different flavours, considered a delicacy. Thereafter the other customs follow including the offering of betel to parents and elders as a gesture of gratitude, which in turn receives the blessings from parents. Another custom that has come down from the time of the Kandyan Kingdom is the anointing of oils and nanu (herbal mixture) before the ceremonial bath. This showed the patronage of the kings who took a special interest with regard to their subjects’ health and the anointing ceremony was planned as a religious ceremony by the Nekath Mohottala while the royal physician prepared the oils and nanu. The anointing of nanu takes place only on Wednesday because it is on this day that Nanumuraya is performed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa and the four devales in Kandy. Nanumuraya is meant for bathing the Sacred Tooth Relic and other deities. The oil and herbal mixture prepared by extracting the juice from herbal leaves, flowers and seeds, is then poured into 1,000 small clay pots and taken the day before the New Year to the Natha Devala Hewisi Maduwa. The mixture is distributed from the Natha Devale due to the belief that the Natha deity has curative powers.The rituals and customs of the Aluth Avurudda centred around Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and handed down from ancient times have now absorbed modern trends while retaining age-old traditions. |
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