The “Wasath Syria 2023” Sinhala & Tamil New Year Celebrations @shangrilacolombo Sri lankan Ferris Wheels | Kathuru Onchillawa
State's Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival "Wasath Siriya

The “Wasath Siriya 2023” celebration for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year will take place on Saturday, April 22nd at Colombo’s Galle Face Green. This event is being organized by the President’s Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Public Administration, and is open to staff members of various ministries and public sector institutions, as well as to all Sri Lankans and foreigners who wish to participate in the competitions.

The day’s festivities will commence with New Year games and competitions starting at 7.00 am and concluding at 5.00 pm. Thereafter, a musical concert has also been planned from 6.00 pm to 12.00 pm.

The competitions have been divided into three sections, namely State Section, Open Section, and Guest Section, and feature a total of 18 competitions for both men and women. These competitions are open to the staff members of ministries and government institutions, their family members, friends, and children.

The lineup of events includes; Finding the hidden guest, placing the eye on the elephant, breaking the pot blindfolded, counting the seeds of a papaw, weaving coconut branches, scraping coconut, pillow fighting, bun eating contest, drinking milk with a soother, threading a needle, 100 M race, feeding yoghurt blindfolded, obstacle race, bursting the balloon, lighting the candle, lime and spoon race, tug-of-war, musical chairs, passing the hat game, best laugh competition, selecting the biggest belly, Awurudu prince and princess contest, and climbing the grease pole.

The “Wasath Siriya 2023” celebration for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year will also feature an Open Section for foreigners, embassies, foreign institutions, and staff from nearby hotels. This section includes ten competitions to engage and entertain international guests.

The event also showcases a recreated model of a village house, which portrays the relationship between the village and the village house during the bygone era. Visitors can enjoy sweets, costumes, Sinhala New Year rituals, and many village games and demonstrations, including drumming, pancha kelia, olindah kelia, chakgudu, folk music, wrestling, Ang keliya, swings, bamboo fireworks shows, a bazaar, and more.

Diplomats, their family members, and the staff representing the countries of America, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Palestine, Bangladesh, Cuba, Myanmar, Thailand, Kuwait, South Korea, and Vietnam were also present. A special feature was that many competitions were organized for foreign tourists visiting the country.

A model of an environment with an ancient village house was also recreated here, showing the beautiful relationship between the village and the village house in past village society and displaying the form of a village house, including sweets, clothes, Sinhala New Year rituals, and many village games and exhibition elements. The ground was also colorful, with a Ferris wheel, a bamboo shoot display, a bazaar, and a traditional medicine house.

The festivities will continue with the “Miazi” musical concert, which will commence at 7:00 pm at the venue. The concert will feature Sahan Ranwala’s leading Ranwala Band, followed by the Mead Land Band, a popular band in the island. The event will also include performances by renowned singers such as Rukantha Gunathilake, Sanuka Wickramasinghe, Windy Gunathilake, Tashni Perera, Dulmina Perera, Hijas Taleesh, and Ashanya Premadasa, making it a memorable and entertaining experience for all.

Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo celebrated Sinhalese and Tamil New Year with a traditional milk boiling ceremony and treats! Aluth Avurudu is a national festival which has been celebrated for centuries. The most pronounced areas of the new year festivities are food, games and the rituals of goodwill.

pmd.gov, presidentsoffice.lk, Wasath Siriya, ජනාධිපති ලේකම්, Presidential Secretariat, President Media Division, PMD, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති, President Ranil, Shangri-La Green premises,