The message: “Likewise, the people tend to worship the Moon and the Sun annually in the New Year.

The Sinhala and Tamil communities that celebrate the rise of the Sun in the period of Aluth Avurudu in the month of Bak, also take part in the New Year ritual of viewing the new Moon.

“The New Year which approaches with the annual transition of the Sun, is a time of celebration of the timeless link between the environment, nature and man. After reaping the harvest and offering to the Buddha and the deities first and then consuming it, we commence the season of Avurudu, a period of bliss, togetherness, flourishing inter-relations, and often the period in which the people express their sense of identity as a nation. This month is named as “Bak”, since it is the season of prosperity. We name this as the New Year since it is a blossoming period of happiness and joy, in which flowers bloom and fruits ripe announcing the nature’s beauty.

“It is time we pay adequate attention to understand the deep meaning of this most precious traditional cultural ceremony called the New Year, especially as it is now submissive to the market mechanisms and consumer demands. “Although we are the children of Mother Nature, we have gradually kept it away from this most important cultural event. Now, we have reached a point where we feel the imperative need for realigning with Mother Nature. “Proposing that while enjoying the results of the efforts of our own victories so far, we must collectively commit ourselves to fulfill the national expectations, I wish the dearest people of this country as well as the Sri Lankans living abroad a peaceful and prosperous New Year”.