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Next: 13 to 14 Apr 2027

Sinhala and Tamil New Year

Sri Lanka's shared new year: the sun enters Aries, a lit hearth, oil-bathing, kiribath and traditional games.

A pattern drawn for this day, not a photograph.

When is Sinhala and Tamil New Year in 2027?

Sinhala and Tamil New Year 2027 runs from 13 to 14 April 2027. Other years: 2026, 13 to 14 April 2026; 2028, 13 to 14 April 2028.

About Sinhala and Tamil New Year

Aluth Avurudda, the Sinhala and Tamil new year, is set by the moment the sun moves into Aries and not by a fixed date, and usually falls on 13 or 14 April. A calendar of auspicious times tells the household when to light the hearth, boil milk until it overflows, begin cooking, start work and take the first meal. Elders are given a sheaf of betel leaves, and family members are anointed with herbal oil on the head. The main dish is kiribath, milk rice, eaten with sweets such as kavum, kokis and aluwa. Villages hold games such as pillow fights on a greased pole, the Avurudu kumari contest, and swinging, and shops close for the holiday.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearSinhala and Tamil New Year date
202613 to 14 April 2026
202713 to 14 April 2027
202813 to 14 April 2028

What is eaten

  • kiribath
  • kavum
  • kokis
  • aluwa
  • aggala

Traditions of Sinhala and Tamil New Year

KiribathThe milk rice central to the day.

Also part of it, and being written: Kavum (The oil cake of the new year table.), Avurudu games (The traditional village games.).

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Sinhalese New Year" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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