The Avuruddha

Okay, this is it, I have only enough for one more cup of American coffee left.  This will be the true test of whether I have acclimated to this country.  Actually, I drink one cup of coffee in the morning and then about 11am really enjoy a cup of tea with the staff sometimes again about 4:30pm.

     Today is a huge holiday here, although I must say there are many, many holidays here.  This is Sinhala and Tamil New Year or The Avuruddha. It essentially celebrates the end of the harvest. Basically pretty much 3/4 of the country seems to stop working and go home or to visit family.  Nothing much happens, post office stops functioning, stores close, restaurants close, for a week or more.  The actually holiday is one day but there is the preparation leading up to the holiday and then the stuff that happens the day after the holiday and then the traveling back from family and so forth.  so basically from this past Monday until next Monday or Tuesday, nothing goes on.  Actually since last Thursday was election day the holiday seems to have started then.  Patients of course need to be taken care of but many were discharged so they could vote and then be home for the New Year so the ward is very quiet and of course staff are not on full capacity.

     So, what happens actually on this holiday?  Well what I am gathering is that it is sort of like Passover or Jewish New Year.  The entire house is cleaned top to bottom, new things for the home are purchased, new clothing is bought for the whole family.  Certain foods that are significant, especially milk products like milk rice or Kiribath which celebrates the harvest of the rice, are prepared.  Tons of sweets of various forms are made and lots of bananas are eaten.  So all this preparing goes on until a certain hour on the day before the holiday, in this case the about 11pm on the 13th.  At that point the fire of the stove must be extinguished and the stove cleaned and it is relit the following day at a time determined by the astrologers.  No food is eaten in between this time either and no work is performed, it is a time of quiet and reflection.  Then in this case at 9am this morning, the stove is lit, milk is boiled over on it to celebrate prosperity and health and everyone eats all day!  Very loud firecrackers are set off all over, I can attest to that since it has been happening for several days now!  Also money is passed between parents and children and children and parents as a sign of respect and prosperity in the coming year, I believe.  It is truly a family holiday, people go to their parents wherever they are as much as possible.  (Interestingly enough, Christians and Muslims do not celebrate this holiday but do benefit from the days off from work.  Yes the country is really, really divided between 4 religions, Sinhala people being Buddhist and Tamils being Hindus.)   The day after the holiday, there are still rituals with oil being placed on the head and certain kind of bathing. Anyway, I was hoping someone would invite me to their home to witness this ritual and as it turns out I am invited to Laxmi's home for lunch today.  She is one of the nurses I have written about.  I have unfortunately been benefiting from the holiday all week because people have been "baking" and making milk toffee for days. Staff have brought it to work and yesterday, my landlady brought up an entire tray of about 6 or 7 different treats for me.  Pretty much everything made here is deep fried like oil cakes and things like funnel cakes.  There cholesterol numbers are high as you can imagine.  Outside my window at this very moment the firecrackers are going crazy, it is just past 9AM, the time the eating can begin!  I think I'll go have breakfast.