Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day
| Date | Type |
|---|---|
14 Apr 2026 Tuesday | BankPublicMercantile |
14 Apr 2027 Wednesday | BankPublicMercantile |
Overview
The Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Aluth Avurudda in Sinhala and Puthandu in Tamil, is Sri Lanka's largest shared cultural festival, celebrated jointly by the island's two largest communities according to a traditional solar calendar rooted in ancient agrarian life, when the change of season also marked the end of one harvest and the beginning of another. Rather than falling on a fixed calendar date, the new year begins at the precise astrological moment the sun crosses from Pisces into Aries, typically 13 or 14 April, and traditional astrologers calculate a sequence of auspicious times (nekath) for specific rituals: lighting the hearth for the first time, boiling milk until it ceremonially overflows as a symbol of prosperity, beginning work or study for the new year, and even the direction one should face while doing so. Because these rituals happen at specific, sometimes early-morning or late-night moments, radio and television broadcasts across the country announce the exact nekath times so households can observe them together. The festival is historically tied to the Kandyan Kingdom, where it was celebrated as a national event under royal patronage, and today it's marked with traditional games such as pillow fights and greased-pole climbing, sweets like kokis and kevum, and new clothes worn in specific auspicious colours for the year.
Significance
The New Year is timed astrologically, with specific auspicious times set each year for lighting the hearth, starting work, and eating the first meal, reflecting the sun's transit between zodiac houses rather than a fixed calendar date.
How it's observed
This is the closest Sri Lanka gets to a nationwide shutdown: almost all businesses close for several days, public transport is reduced, and most Sri Lankans travel to be with family. Traditional games, sweets like kokis and kevum, and oil-lamp lighting are common. Visitors should plan around this period, as many shops, restaurants and services outside hotels will be closed.
See the Sri Lanka long weekends list or use the interactive holiday planner.