MEMBERS of the Sri Lankan community celebrated Aluth Avurudda, or Sri Lankan New Year, on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Part harvest festival, part marking of an astrological event and part party, the festivities were organised by the Sri Lankan Australian Association of Ballarat and held in Sebastopol.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been going on for centuries in Sri Lanka,\u201d said Iruka Kumarage, president of SLAAB. \u201cSri Lanka is a multi-cultural, multi-religious society but everybody comes together to celebrate the New Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBallarat Sri Lankans are a true reflection of Sri Lankan society, so everybody\u2019s here today celebrating in harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the strong turn out from the Sri Lankan community, the event was attended by City of Ballarat councillor Amy Johnson and Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle along with representatives from other multicultural bodies and cultural groups.<\/p>\n
Cr Johnson praised SLAAB\u2019s growth and the role in welcoming recently arrived Sri Lankans to Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to see the Sri Lankan Australian Association grow so quickly to over 100 members in such a short time,\u201d Cr Johnson said. \u201cWhen people move to a new place it\u2019s certainly helpful to have an organisation such as this to help them settle in and also hold onto some of those traditions that are important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Settle reiterated those comments and acknowledged the learning experience that taking part in the celebrations like Sri Lankan New Year provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really wonderful to see a group like this come together,\u201d Ms Settle said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really lovely to hear the stories from your wonderful young leaders about what it all means and it\u2019s great to learn from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as a formal section to the day the celebrations included a traditional boiling of milk to the point of overflowing to signify the start of a new cycle, underpinned by forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Attendees also enjoyed cultural activities like Sri Lankan cuisine, games and competitions, music and dance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MEMBERS of the Sri Lankan community celebrated Aluth Avurudda, or Sri Lankan New Year, on Saturday. Part harvest festival, part marking of an astrological event and part party, the festivities were organised by the Sri Lankan Australian Association of Ballarat and held in Sebastopol. \u201cIt\u2019s been going on for centuries in Sri Lanka,\u201d said Iruka […]<\/p>\n