Traditions & customs

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Aluth Avurudda / Puthandu) marks the sun’s movement from the house of Pisces (Meena) to Aries (Mesha). In Sri Lanka it is a shared season of renewal across communities, observed with family, food, respect for elders, and hope for the year ahead.

Celebrations are guided by auspicious times (nakath) for lighting the hearth, preparing the first meal, leaving for work, and exchanging gifts. Many households begin with a clean home, oil lamps, and new clothes before the rituals of the day.

Food and sharing

Tables fill with sweets and savouries: kiribath (milk rice) cut into pieces for sharing, kavum, kokis, aluwa, and other treats vary by family and region. Sharing meals with neighbours and visiting elders is at the heart of the season — a gesture of goodwill and community.

Customs many families observe

• Lighting the hearth at the chosen time, often preparing milk rice as the first meal of the year.
• Respect for parents and elders — sometimes with oil anointing (ganu denu) and good wishes for health and prosperity.
• Visiting relatives and neighbours, exchanging sweetmeats and small gifts.
• Traditional games — village swings, pillow fights, climbing greased poles, and other outdoor fun that brings young and old together.
• Reconciliation — settling differences and starting the year with a clean heart as well as a clean home.

Tamil New Year (Puthandu)

Tamil families often begin the day with a special viewing arrangement — fruit, flowers, gold, silver, and mirrors — to symbolize abundance and a bright outlook. Temple visits, prayers, and festive meals follow similar themes of gratitude and new beginnings.

However you celebrate, we hope your New Year is safe, joyful, and full of warmth — from all of us at Abans Finance.