Theravada Buddhist Temple in Brickfields: May 2016

Saturday, 21 May 2016

WESAK IN KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

Monday, 2 May 2016

Sinhala Tamil New Year Traditional Games

April New Year Marathon (Gama haraha diweema)

As for the most of such festivals, this New Year festival also started from the ‘Marathon’. Usually this includes competitors to complete a track which usually covers the residential area where the games festival is organized. At least 2-3 km is included for the runners to complete.

Coconut scraping is another fun event. Usually ladies enjoy this event much as it is one of the things day do at home for cooking.

Kana mutti bindeema is another fun game which is like a must in any New year games festival. Usually
for this game, there are few clay pots which are filled with sand or water and hanged in a row. Among these pots there is one pot which is filled with blue water.

Completion is to hit the clay pot which has blue water. To start the game, the eyes of the competitors are closed using a piece of cloth. They are provided with a bamboo stick to hit the pot.

The competitor who hit the pot which contains blue water will win the game. Even if there is a winner or no,
this game is a fun event for all those who participate for the festival.

Coconut Scraping Competition

Kana mutti biindeema

Kana Mutti (Clay pots are ready for the game)

Pillow Fighting Game (Kotta pora)

Lissana gaha nageema (The Slippery Pole)

Watching at the slippery pole (lissana gaha nageema)

Another game is Kotta pora which means pillow fight.It is basically, two competitors fight with a pillow till one person is fallen down. Usually a place is prepared using a pole placed horizontally at about 2 m in height. This can be placed in other vertically placed poles/columns. Then 2 competitors sit on both sides and beat each other using a bag (pillow) full of straw or some light weight things. This will continue until one falls off.

Climbing the slippery pole (Lissana gaha nageema) is another game.For this game, a very long timber pole is fixed into the ground. A flag is placed at the top of the pole.(tree).Then the organizers will apply some slippery thing like grease on this pole. The first person who climbs to the top of this slippery tree and who gets the flag is the winner.

However, this game is played as a team. Those who participate for the game will repeat their attempt and
remove the grease on each attempt. Finally one person will be able to get the flag. Usually the price is a good amount of money and the winner will share it among all those who participated in the team.

This is actually not an easy game, it requires lot of energy and also climbing skill. But there are people
who like to participate for this game. Those who watch the game can give some donations (money) for the final prize. Organizers of the festival collect this type of donations and add that to the final prize.

Most of these festivals end with the competition of selecting ‘New Year Princess and Prince’ (Avurudu kumari/kumara).This competition is organized in national level too where beautiful girls and guys participate.However,in this New Year Festival which was organized by residents around the area,it was a small competition for girls and boys below certain age limit.

Above are our little girls who participated for the competition.All these girls are from our neighbors homes and for me all of them are beautiful and New Year Princesses.

They are wearing a traditional Sri Lankan dress,specially for girls.

Coconut Scraping Competition

Kana mutti biindeema

Kana Mutti (Clay pots are ready for the game)

Pillow Fighting Game (Kotta pora)

Lissana gaha nageema (The Slippery Pole)

Watching at the slippery pole (lissana gaha nageema)

These are few of the traditional games.But there are lot more fun games which all can participate during the festival.Do you have such traditional events?Do you have any photo story for this week?Please share those.

Sinhala New Year and Traditional Food Culture

In accordance with the Astrology, we the Sri Lankans used to celebrate Sinhala and Tamil New Year annually. As explained in the Astrology, it is believed that the sun moves from the house of Pisces to the house of Aries in the Celestial and the dawn of new year occurs during this transitional period.

Usually, the new year is celebrated on 13th and 14th April (Bak) of every year. This month is considered as a prosperous period, since people live leisurely after harvesting. During this period, the climate is so hot since the sun moves straight over the country.

The new year commences during the first part of the Sinhala month called Bak. Another name for this month is Bhaga.

There is a famous word among the public related to new year celebration called “Avurudu Kema” (Enjoying food). This is a good evidence to explain the relationship between the Sinhala New Year and enjoying food. Since there is a close relationship between the Sri Lankan food culture and the housewife, she is given a prominent place in the Sinhala-Tamil New Year.

After dawn of the new year, the first task of the year is lighting the hearth according to the auspicious time and boiling milk. Subsequently, people used to prepare milk rice (Kiri Bath) from the harvest obtained from their paddy fields. Through these rituals, people believe that there won’t be a food shortage in their houses throughout the year. In this task, all family members customary assist the housewife (mother) to do everything in perfect manner.

In the preparation of milk rice, the directions and advices given in Astrology need to be adopted properly. The other main items that mix with the milk rice include sesame, green gram, jaggery and honey.

In some areas “Hath Maluwa” (curry made with seven vegetables) is mixed with milk rice. The varieties of vegetables used for Hath maluwa are different from area to area. In common, Hath maluwa includes vegetables, cereal, yam and cashew etc.

According to Sri Lankan custom, people are not confined to eat only milk rice. The Avurudu table which comprises a number of sweet items, is a major decorative part of the new year festival. Among the sweet items of the Avurudu table Konda Kevum, Kokis, Asmee, Mun Kevum and Athirasa are prominent. In addition, it can be observed that there are sweet items which are particular to different areas. For example, Unduwel or Pani Walalu and Naran Kevum in Kandy, Kalu Dodol and Mungedi in Dakunu Giruwapattu and Ruhunu Magampattu areas, Kiri Roti and Amara kevum in Sath Koralaya, and Thala or Kaju Aluwa in Nuwara Kalaviya can be especially cited. In Chillaw area, house-wives used to prepare Meegamu Aluwa for the Avurudu table.

Once the Avurudu table is prepared in accordance with the rituals, the food items are consumed by the family members at the auspicious time. The bread winner or father of the family feeds his wife and children, adhering to directions given in the Astrology. Once the consumption by family members is over, spouses mutually exchange money (Ganu-denu) using betel leaves. However, in some areas this ritual is different and family members invite an elite of the village to open the Avurudu table and do monetory transactions or Ganu-denu. The whole objective of this new year rituals is managing the year with good harvest and income, without any economic difficulties.

Traditional Sinhalese people did not celebrate the new year in isolation. The main reason associated with this practice was their livelihood in agriculture on which mainly based on mutual labour exchange. Since the traditional agricultural activities were collective effort of the villagers, they used to celebrate the new year in harmony. This was evident from the practices related to food culture in the country.

According to the folk song called “Avurudu Malaya” there was a strong relationship between the Sinhala new year and food culture. After harvesting, the economy of the villagers was prosperous and their homes were full of home grown food items. As explained in the above folk song, although, the Sinhalese villagers used to consume Sinhala rice, Samba rice was also given a prominent place in the Avurudu table. The verses of the Avurudu Malaya tell that a wide range of items namely betel, areca, lime, tobacco, salt, chilies, fish, pork flesh, beef, chicken, rabbit flesh, and venison were bought by villagers for new year celebration.

According to the same source, the other food items associated with new year celebration included Alukesel, Navari, Bathala, Arthapal, Arisi, kohila, Murunga, Thumba, Batu, Annasi, Pathola, Labu, Puhul, Dun Thel, Hun Kiri, Sukiri, Siyanseeni, Galkandu, Belimal, Koopi and number of fruits.

Avurudu Malaya tells us that beef was consumed by villagers during the new year season. This food item was introduced by the Portuguese. However, before arrival of the Portuguese, Sinhala people strongly condemned the consumption of beef, labeling it as “geri mas”.

It is obvious that Sinhalese people have used to include a lot of food items in the celebration of Sinhala new year. According to traditional folk songs, a large variety of food items (fruits, vegetables and beverages) were consumed by our ancient people.

In Sri Lankan culture, it was apparent that different foods were distributed among different strata of the society. The ancient village comprised different types of people and they provided different kinds of services to the society. As explained in Avurudu Malaya, different foods were used to provide among different service providers. For example, a native doctor was offered food items such as fish, salt, undu and green gram during the new year season. The service of the exorcists was also very important in the traditional village. Therefore, he was given special food items to compensate his service to the society. Oil cake and plantains were provided to exorcists.

The astrologist was also similarly important character in the traditional village, because he provided a special service with regard to preparation of Avurudu Seettu. To compensate his service, food items like rice, coconut, salt, chillies and sweet items were offered to him. These food distributions were called “Dakum” in the traditional Society.

Traditionally, there were different professionals who dealt with different crafts in ancient villages. The villages provided “Dakum” for them as well. Among these items salt, tobacco, rice, paddy were important. Linen washers (Redi Nanda and Mama) were also very important service providers in the traditional society. Their services by way of providing clothes (Priuwata) for social events like funerals, weddings and puberty were essential in the traditional society. During the new year season, they were provided with food items and money by the villagers who obtained their services.

As explained by the verses in Avurudu Malaya, it is obvious that there was a strong relationship between traditional food culture and human culture. Traditional Sinhalese people did every thing in collective manner with the support of family, village and temple. The main bridge of this collective life was a food culture, inherited by the traditional villagers.

Sinhala &Tamil New year 2016 @ Brickfileds Kual Lumpur

Auspicious Times

30 Year Historic Brickfileds Temple Kuala Lumpur

Sinhalese New Year සිංහල අලුත් අවුරුද්ද
Official name	Aluth Avurudda
Observed by	Sinhalese people worldwide ^{[N 1]}
Type	Cultural
Celebrations	Games, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives, prayer
Observances	The observed movement of the sun from Meena Rashiya(House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) Marks the end of the harvest season
Date	An auspicious date in the month of Bak(April) (by the Shalivahana era)
2015 date	14 April
2016 date	13 April
Frequency	annual
Related to	Songkran, Thingyan, Pohela Boishakh, Puthandu

Sinhala &Tamil New year 2016 @ 130 Year Historic Brickfileds Temple Kuala Lumpur

Sinhalese New Year, generally known as Aluth Avurudda (Sinhalese: අලුත් අවුරුද්ද) in Sri Lanka, is the new year of the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka. It is a major anniversary celebrated by not only the Sinhalese people but by most Sri Lankans. The timing of the Sinhala New Year coincides with the new year celebrations of many traditional calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The festival has close semblance to the Tamil New year, Thai New year, Bengali New Year, Cambodian New Year, Lao New Year, Thingyan in Myanmar and Odia New Yearfestival in India.^[1] It is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. It is generally celebrated on 13 April or 14 April.

According to Sinhalese astrology, New Year begins when the sun moves from Meena Rashiya (the house of Pisces) to Mesha Rashiya (the house of Aries). It also marks the end of the harvest and spring.

community witnessed the glamour beauty and culture of traditional sri lankan new year of sinhala and Tamils in the historic nation a EVENT CELEBRATED FOR CENTURIES BY THE MILLION IN SOU ASIAN NATIONS LIKE THAILAND, LAOS,MYANMAR INDONESIA INDIA SRI LANKA CHINA VIETNAM CAMBODIA TIBET,BHUTAN

SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR IN KUALA LUMPUR

Cultural anthropological history of the 'Traditional New Year' which is celebrated on month of April, goes back to an ancient period in Sri Lankan history.people think the celebration of new year is the change of thoughts too. Various beliefs, perhaps those associated with fertility of the harvest, gave birth to many rituals, customs, and ceremonies connected with the New Year. The advent of Buddhism in the 3rd century BC led to a re-interpretation of the existing New Year activities in the Buddhism light^{[citation needed]}. The majority of the people in the country are Buddhists, and as such, it is that the Buddhist outlook was predominant in transforming the New Year rites to what they are now.

Hinduism, on the other hand, existed side by side with Buddhism, in medieval times. New Year practices interpreted in the Hinduism way developed among the Hindus^{[citation needed]}. Buddhism and Hinduism were historically connected with each other. Their philosophies were running along parallel dimensions, except for certain ultimate truths concerning the self, the way to achieve emancipation and the nature of a creative god (which Buddhism denies) and nirvana . There was no serious contradiction in New Year rituals that are found among the Buddhists and Hindus.

The mythological backdrop of the New Year is probably based on Hindu literature. The Prince of Peace called Indradeva descends upon the earth to ensure peace and happiness. He comes in a white carriage wearing on his head a white floral crown seven cubits high. He first dips, like a returning space capsule plunges, breaking earth's gravity, into a `Kiri Sayura' or sea of milk.^{[citation needed]}

Modern day activities related to the celebration of the traditional New Year is based on auspicious times given by the astrologers. The New Year celebration therefore can be thought as a complex mix of Indigenous, Astrological, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions.

SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR IN KUALA LUMPUR

celebrate

n month of Bak (represents prosperity) in the Sinhala calendar(or the month of April according to the gregorian calendar), when the sun moves (in an astrological sense) from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) in the celestial sphere; Sri Lankan people of Sri Lanka begin celebrating Sinhala New Year or Aluth Avurudu (in Sinhala). It marks the end of the harvest season and also coincides with one of two instances when the sun is directly above Sri Lanka.

However, unlike the celebration of the new gregorian calendar year at midnight on December 31, the Sinhalese traditional New Year begins at a time determined by astrological calculations. Also unlike 31st night celebrations, where old year ends at midnight and new year begins immediately afterwards; the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the new year occur several hours apart from one another (this span of time is usually 12 hours and 48 minutes, which starts when the sun, as a disk, starts to cross the astrological boundary between 'House of Pisces' and 'House of Aries' and ends when the crossing is complete. The halfway point is considered as the dawn of the new year). This period is, referred to as the Nonagathe (or the 'neutral period' or 'Auspicious Time' ). During this time Sri Lankans are, according to tradition, encouraged to refrain from material pursuits, and engage solely in either religious activities or traditional games.

Cultural rituals begin shortly after the beginning of the Sinhala new year with the cleaning of the house and lighting of an oil lamp. In some communities, women congregate to play upon the Raban (type of a drum) to announce the incipient change in the year. All the families as one carries out variety of rituals in exact timings of which are determined by astrological calculations - from lighting the fire to making the Kiribath (milk rice) to entering into the first business transaction and eating the first morsels. The rituals vary slightly based on the locale. However the core of the celebrations remains the same.

The approach of the each auspicious time for various rituvals is heralded by the unmistakable sign of very loud firecrackers. Although loud firecrackers are an environmental concern, and a safety hazard, especially for children, this remains an integral part of the celebrations throughout Sri Lanka.

Once the important rituals are done, the partying begins as families mingle in the streets, homes are thrown open and children are let out to play. The ubiquitous plantain is dished out alongside celebratory feasts of Kavum (small oil cake) and Kokis (crisp and light sweetmeat, originally from the Netherlands). However, the extent of outdoor activities depends largely on the neighborhood. The suburban communities tend to have such social gatherings than urban or city dwellers.

Aluth Aurudu is an important national holiday for both the cultures of the Sinhalese people and the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. The celebrations are given wide coverage and patronage from state owned media as well as private media.

SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR IN KUALA LUMPUR

Harvest Festival

The date upon which the Sinhala new year occurred, while determined by astrological calculations, also tends to coincide with one of the paddy harvest seasons. For farming communities, the traditional new year is a festival of harvest as well.

SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR IN KUALA LUMPUR

Cuckoo birdKoel - KOHA -CELEBRATE NEW YEAR WITH US HE FEEL THE TIME OF HARVESTING

A type of cuckoo bird, the Asian koel, has a strong association with the new year celebrations in traditional literature around the festival.cukoo bird is also a sign of new year. The mating season of the bird roughly coincides with the festival season. The mating call of the male is regarded as a heralding sign of the traditional new year. This bird is known as the Koha (කොහා) in Sri Lanka by the Sinhala language. The melodious call Koo-ooo of the male bird is heard throughout Sri Lanka during the breeding season of the bird that roughly spans from March to August.

SINHALA AND TAMIL NEW YEAR IN KUALA LUMPUR