Sri Lankan students of YSMU held a celebration to commemorate a National Festival of Sri Lanka “The Sinhala and Tamil New Year 2022”.
Named “Avurudu” in Sinhala and “Puththandu” in Tamil, the New Year is a demarcation of a new beginning, the dawn of more prosperous days.
The event showcased some of the many diverse and colorful cultures and traditions of Sri Lanka for the first time. The honorable chief guests graced the venue and were greeted in the way of the Hindus'.The “Kumbham” which signifies life in its full bloom and plenty was placed at the entrance.
The guests then lit the traditional oil lamp, a long-held custom marking the auspicious start of every event for both Sinhala Buddhists and Hindus. Then forth the festivities began. A fusion between two dance traditions of Sri Lanka. The upcountry (Kandyan) dance and Low country (Pahatharat) dance left guests and students alike in starstruck awe.
Next an elaborate and eloquent speech about the Island Nation of Sri Lanka and the New Year Festival was delivered. The congratulatory words and good advice of the respected chief guests, who made time from their busy schedules to be present at the occasion was both uplifting and reassuring.
A Bharatha Natyam overflowing with grace, purity, tenderness and sculptural poses was performed. Afterwards, the event was brightened by a beautiful poem about the Dawn of the New Year. The stage was lit up by splendor and spirit by another Bhartaha Natyan that showcased great devotion to Lord Shiva.
The Choir brought further color to the event by its blend of soft melodies, classical music and gripping patriotic songs.
The guests were then introduced to some traditional sweets and foodstuff of Sri Lanka at the Festive Food table.
The next half of the event was held at the ground area. The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the joyous beginning of it. A graceful “Avurudu dance” reminded us how tremendously cheerful and hopeful the Sinhala and Tamil New Year is.
The celebrations continued with New Year Games such as-Balancing a ball (traditionally a lime) on a spoon while racing, feeding yogurt without looking at the game partner, passing balloons filled with water, Tug-of-War, drawing the eye of the elephant while blindfolded, finding an unknown hidden guest.
International students of many different nations participated much to the joy of the students and added to the fun of it all. The first ever event of such scale conducted by the Sri Lankan students was an immense success thanks to the enthusiasm of the students, the advisors from the Students’ Parliament, the officials and lecturers of YSMU.