The year 2022 is marked by many difficulties for Sri Lankans, which is why it was so important to take a day to celebrate what it means to be a Sri Lankan. On the 8th of April, the Spectrum Students and Faculty of Spectrum Institute of Science & Technology joined hands to celebrate a day filled with laughter, food, and fun.
The Sinhalese and Tamil people welcome New Year on the 13th and 14th of April. The celebration commenced with the boiling of milk, which is an auspicious ritual that welcomes prosperity and good fortune for the year. It is believed that this tradition began with people greeting each other by saying, "Kiri ithirewa," which roughly translates to, "let your pots overflow with milk". We gladly underwent this tradition before heading inside, to where the festivities took place.
Inside the makeshift auditorium, the lamps were lit and the hall was filled with performances of second-year students' traditional dances which thoroughly entertained their audience.
Once the opening sequence was completed, it was onto the next part of the itinerary. On a table, not too far from the crowd, was where all sorts of delicacies were found. Typical food that is eaten for this type of festivity, such as Kiribath, Kevum, Kokkis, Panni Walalu, etc. were spread out.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, we proceeded to the most exciting phase of the day. In order to emulate the spirit of the New Year, it was important to partake in the Avurudu games.
Tug of war/Kamba Adeema
The teams were split into boys versus girls but it was difficult to choose the winner as the rope split in the middle.
Relay Race
This game was a combination of the lime and spoon race and the potato sack race game.
Eating Buns/Banis Kaeme Tharangaya
As the name suggests, this game had the players eat buns hanging from a string. The one who finished their bun first was considered the winner.
Kana Mutti
This is a game that involved three or more clay pots being hung up on a wooden frame using a string. The competitors are handed a pole, blindfolded, and spun in circles. They are then made to walk and take swings at the pot.
Water Balloon Fight
This game involved forming two teams and having them pass a water balloon back and forth with the opposing team. The winner was the last man or woman standing that had not gotten soaked by their water balloon.
Avurudu Pageant
The final event was a pageant that is done to showcase talent. A set of judges that consisted of the faculty were selected and everyone was invited to compete. This year’s Avurudu Kumariya was Dhanali Fonseka and the Avurudu Kumaraya was Yeshan.
It was truly a fun-filled day that splendidly ushered in the New Year. Despite what was happening in the country, the Spectrum Students were able to leave their worries behind for a couple of hours and partake in some light-hearted fun with their peers. A special thank you goes to the organizing committee in the second year batch that made all of this possible as well as the faculty for giving this opportunity to celebrate and make important memories.
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