We’ve made it to April, and we can already hear the Koha bird starting to make some noise marking the Aluth Avurudu season.
However, while April has always been a month of celebration, the past three years have been anything but for Sri Lankans. With the 2019 Easter bombings bringing us all a somber New Year followed by two years of Covid-19, we are finally in 2022, facing an unprecedented economic crisis and our fellow countrymen taking to the streets.
With the state of the nation and the general unity that is being exhibited however, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year might end up being the perfect holiday.
According to Sinhalese astrology, the local 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 season and of spring. The traditional new year goes back to an ancient period in Sri Lankan history and with the festival being associated with the fertility of the harvest, there is belief that it marks the beginning of new and better things.
Modern Avurudu has its many rituals, customs, and ceremonies. However, while being a cultural festival, much of it is based on religious practices, and with Buddhism and Hinduism being historically connected with one another, there are many parallels to be observed in the Avurudu celebrations in both cultures.
Avurudu 2022: The end of the line?
Last year, we were urging Sri Lankan’s to ‘celebrate with caution,’ owing to the pandemic in order to avoid spreading the virus, and this year with the economic crisis we seem to have hit a double whammy – one of which we are almost completely ignoring; the pandemic, which remains a concern. So maybe, celebrate with ‘extra caution’ this year owing to the general unrest in the island and the silent threat of the pandemic.
Considering the rather unique circumstances we have found ourselves in, The Sunday Morning Brunch reached out to members of the public to share how they hoped to celebrate this New Year, and the things they would be doing differently as opposed to the times we’ve celebrated without the constant threat of a virus hanging over our heads and an economic crisis threatening to bankrupt our nation.
Brunch was able to speak with an interesting cross section of people from a diverse selection of socio-economic classes. What we noted was that while the specifics may differ for each individual, the overall sentiment remained the same – times are not easy, and while tradition, family, and celebration is important, it is impossible to ignore the state of the country and the constant worry that things may not actually get better.
Expressing their current struggles, two such individuals shared their experience during this Avurudu season and how they have been forced to deal with the unfortunate hand that life has dealt them. Duminda Weerasinghe and Ashok Kumara shared with Brunch how they and their families had barely been making ends meet and how Avurudu this year was not one they would be able to celebrate.
‘Not a luxury I can afford’
Duminda, a tuk driver by profession, shared that with four young children in his household together with his wife, this year’s celebrations were “an impossibility”. Duminda said that last year and the previous year, despite the pandemic, he and his family had some money to spare. However, this year things had changed drastically.
“Last year, despite it being the pandemic, I had many hires, lots of outstation trips, and we had money. But now, because the fuel prices are so high, when I normally would have paid Rs. 500 to pump I am now paying Rs. 1,000, but I do not have enough hires to cover the extra cost,” he said, adding: “My wife also does a side job where she sews clothes for women in the community and others from our town. But this year, my wife’s job has been made redundant because things are simply too expensive. With power cuts, it is not possible for her to continue a business at a lucrative capacity, and even if she did continue to sew there are no more orders. Last year during the New Year she had many orders because people wanted to get something newly made to wear for Aluth Avurudu, but this year people cannot afford it,” he said.
Duminda also shared that even when it came to making food, even though they could not visit their extended families last year, they were able to enjoy a nice meal together as a family. However, this year it is not even possible to attempt to make one sweetmeat. “Last year we made all the kevili – the popular ones like kevum, kokis, and also some murukku. But this year, even to make half what we made, we can’t afford to buy sufficient ingredients. The Avurudu table feels lonely without at least one of these treats so I was actually thinking of buying a few ready made kevum from a shop but that was also too expensive. I saw that a single kevum was Rs. 80 – if I were to buy one each for my family that would be Rs. 400 just for one dish of kevum, which is just ridiculous, and not a luxury I can afford.” he said.
He said that he understood that there was an economic crisis and he did not know enough about the country’s situation to point fingers. Neither did he know whether it was the fault of the current Government or whether it was entirely the result of the pandemic. However, what he knew for certain was that life had been becoming progressively more difficult to live, and this year felt like the absolute end of the line for many of them. He noted that if things continued in the same vein, then many, himself included, would seek drastic measures. “I am not saying I will, but it is going to push people to commit crimes, to steal and commit robberies, and some who do not have the resolve will commit suicide,” he opined.
‘I cannot look my family in the eyes’
Ashok runs a lottery booth in Wellawatte, and has two sons. His oldest is currently preparing to sit for his A/L Examination. Ashok shared that while they usually celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, they had decided not to celebrate in any significant way this year, since they were unable to afford it.
He said: “Right now my priority is my son’s education and there are lots of things he needs in order to do his A/Levels well. He is bright and capable and I think he will pull us out of the situation we are in, but I need to help him lay the foundation to do that, and for that I need to have money. I have to pay for his tuition classes, for his school, and any additional past papers he needs, and for his daily bus fare. Last year I had to purchase a smartphone for him because he was attending internet classes and he could not go to school to access the internet.”
“It is so incredibly painful for me to have to tell my family, especially my sons, that they have to choose between celebrating Avurudu – a tradition we have been carrying on for years – and their education. I don’t know how other parents are making these decisions and what they are telling their children, but I cannot face my family,” Ashok said, adding: “Everyday I leave home hoping for the best, but everyday I cannot look my family in the eyes because I know regardless of however much I earn, there are going to be things I cannot give them this year.”
The indomitably resilient Sri Lankan spirit will carry us through even this difficult time, and a New Year is always a time to hope for a new beginning. Today, the country is showing a very inspiring unity in standing together in protest of the economic crisis, but it’s important to remember that though we are all navigating the same troubled waters, some of us are doing so in much smaller boats than others.
While many of us are privileged enough to be able to celebrate Avurudu, even if we’re tightening our belts while doing so or doing it on a much smaller scale, the fact remains that, for many, basic needs for survival, let alone celebration, remains out of reach.