WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka
Customs and rituals of Aluth Avurudda
(@ Daily Mirror; By D.B. Kappagoda)
Customs and rituals reflect the beliefs of people handed down from generations which can be considered as part of a cultural heritage. ‘Aluth Avurudda’ which is celebrated throughout Sri Lanka shows the unity among families when they meet for family re-union during this season.
Most of the rituals are based on times calculated according to astrology. ‘Aluth Sahal Mangallaya’, ‘Esala Keliya’ and ‘Karthikeiya Mangalliya’ are essentially indigenous ceremonies based on the beliefs woven around agriculture.
However, the Sinhala Aluth Avurudda has strong ties with astrology. It takes the form of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest gathered during the Maha season. Relations and friends gather in the month of Bak (April) which means the month of plenty.
The events associated with the celebrations are bathing during the old year, viewing the moon, Punniyakalaya or Nonagatha, lighting the hearth, preparing meals, partaking of meals, transactions, exchange of gifts, anointing with oil and herbal mixtures and setting out for work.
Women play a prominent role in the celebrations. They prepare for the festival in advance by purchasing the required coconut oil, kitul honey and jaggery to make sweetmeats like kevum, kokis, aluva, asmi, and other provisions to prepare meals during the festive season. New clothes and other items meant to be given as presents are purchased from shops.
There are some interesting poems describing how olinda keliya is played by women which convey their belief in the goddess Pattini.
Young girls take to the swing. There are verses describing the joy experienced by them when the swing goes up and down. There is raban playing by elderly women who compete with one another when they play the rabana to their singing describing the flight of the parrot.
Rana dela del is a game in the Vanni where women recite a line from a verse describing some aspects of Sinhala Avurudu celebrations. The day after observing the anointing ceremony the women gather to perform Kevummale nateema. This is performed to amuse themselves by singing and dancing.
There is also worship offered to Bahirawa known as Bahirawa pooja in which the ash collected from the hearth is collected into a winnowing fan (kulla).
To this three portions of food are placed on a banana leaf along with ash and taken to the corner of the land where they are placed. Later three oil lamps are lit to worship Bahirawa. It is an appeal to Bahirawa begging him for protection.
There is another interesting dance called muthi gasilla in which women sing these verses and dance with others who perform with them. This is performed purely for amusement. Some interesting games played in the past are described in verses.
They were recited while engaged in playing outdoor games. The famous out of these national games are olinda keliya, eluvan keliya, mevara sellama, raban upatha, buhu keliya, muthi gesilla, rena dela del, muthu keliya, onchili varam and mee sellama.