This Sinhala and Tamil year is celebrated by the two main ethnic groups of the island namely Sinhalese and Tamil people. This festival signifies the passage of the Sun from the sign of Pisces to the sign of Aries. The new year is known as New Year in Sinhala and Putthandu in Tamil. With the dawn of the new year, the lives of the people in the respective sections of the population will be revived. The New Year holiday lasts about a week. Many shops are closed and all the people leave with their jobs and go to their villages. It is to celebrate the New Year together with their parents.
The first official act of the New Year is the lighting of the stove used to make milk rice. Later, at the auspicious time, the stove is lit and the milk rice is cooked. Sinhala and Tamil New Year falls in the month of Buck (April). The name 'Bak' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bhagya' which means 'fortunate'. Throughout this Buck month, there will be various changes in the environment. Due to good rainfall, the environment is mixed with green color.
History of the Sinhala and Tamil New year-
With the advent of Buddhism in the third century BC, the beginning of New Year activities has taken place. Therefore, many auspicious rituals are mixed with Buddhism. Also some factors of Hinduism have been added to this. Buddhism and Hinduism have historical connections. Their philosophies run along parallel dimensions and many religious matters take a similar nature. Similar celebrations to this Sinhala and Tamil New Year are found in India, Iran, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China and some other societies in Asia. On New Year's Day, guests are treated to sweets and tea. As they leave, both young and old traditionally give them coins wrapped in betel leaves as a gift. The purpose of this is to get the blessings of elders for the New Year. However, the new year is an important festival that renews the relations between all races and reflects national unity.
