The Spirit Of Sinhala New Year & The ‘Boycott Of Muslim Goods’ 

By Lakmal Harischandra –APRIL 9, 2019

Lakmal Harischandra

Robert Knox has said that the “Sinhala New Year is the greatest feast of the Sinhala race”. Sinhala/Tamil New year is the annual traditional cultural event of the Sinhala and Tamil communities in our country.  The purpose of this event is to build bridges among people and break the dividing walls if any. The whole island takes on a festive mood as people gear up for the upcoming celebrations by cleaning homes, shopping and making New Year sweetmeats, to begin the New Year on a joyous and positive note. The best part is the preparation of sweetmeats and purchasing new clothes. In Sri Lanka it is the cuckoo that heralds the dawn of the New Year. The mood of the occasion is such that none can stay aloof, isolated or dissociate themselves with the hubbub that is annually made. Today the Sinhala Ayurudda has become a national fiesta engaging all in celebration of family and togetherness and harmony between all communities. As such Hela Avurudda is symbol of togetherness and “harmony.

The sound of firecrackers and the rhythm of ‘rabana’ (drum) signal that it’s the dawn of a new beginning. The hearth is lit by the lady of the house facing the designated direction (which varies every year) and either the traditional new year dish, Kiribath, is cooked or a pot of milk is boiled, both signifying prosperity. Families sit around the table and share the kiribath, as the head of the family offers it to all members. After this the oil lamp is lit and the feast commences. After meals, children show respect to their elders by offering sheaves of betel and elders bless them. The elders in return would give them money and commence the first financial transaction (ganu denu) of the New Year. Plates of sweets and other goodies are exchanged between neighbours ( of all nationalities) and it is a tradition that the plates should not be returned empty. Families visit their relatives and friends forgetting resentments and to strengthen their relationships during this joyous season.

When this is the brotherly spirit with which our ancestors celebrated the new year, there has been an unsavoury trend in recent times to create divisions and bitterness among communities through various hate ruses. One of the worst developments has been the advocacy of a boycott of goods from Muslim shops, promoted among Sinhala people, in the period before the New year by disgruntled elements and vested interests. This hate campaign starts off in the social media followed by both colourful posters on city walls and dog whistles in the run up to the New year. This campaign carried out by hate peddlers possibly supported by some sections of the Sinhala business competitors, naturally make the gullible Sinhala peasantry to take the boycott as an act of  displaying ‘Jathiya-aalaya’ (nationalistic fury) with much emotion and misplaced enthusiasm.

It is recalled that during the Post-war period , the Bodu Bala Sena along with other sister bodies called for the boycott of Halal goods and also Muslim owned companies including clothing stores such as No-Limit and Fashion Bug. Many stores were set on fire as well.  This resulted not only in a loss of business to the individual companies but also placed the stores and their staff at risk, growing to a larger economic boycott of Muslim businesses. Then, it was brought to light that anti-Muslim leaflets were being distributed in many Buddhist Temples during Poya days. The leaflets asked the Buddhists to boycott halal products, not to sell properties to Muslims and boycott Muslim businesses. Posters and banners also appeared threatening  the Sinhalese to boycott Muslim businesses and not to sell properties to Muslims. Eggs were also thrown at the shoppers who purchased from Muslim shops. It was also comical that propaganda in websites asked people to boycott the “Mohideen beg” songs in Buddhist Temples. Even though he was not a Buddhist, Mohidin Beg sang the most popular Buddhist theme songs in the Sinhala language. 

BBS Secretary Gnasara thero also appealed to  the Sinhalese people to boycott Muslim businesses and reject Muslim doctors as they appear to administer contraceptive pills to reduce the expansion of the Sinhala population. This latter propaganda about contraceptive pills in foods served to the Sinhalese also came up as a pretext to wage the Ampara attack in 2018 which was subsequently proved to be a canard. Thus, the ultra-nationalist BBS led by the firebrand hate monk Gnanasara Thero had been then on a nationwide rampage spreading anti-Muslim venom to cause material and psychological harm to the Muslim community. Other hate outfits like Ravana Balaya and Sihala Urumaya lent their support too. When the government changed, the people expected that status quo will change and Yahapalana regime will reign in these elements spreading hate and bigotry . They seemed to do at first, but then another repeat hate campaign was observed more as undercurrents which culminated in the Digana incident. Today, the same hate peddlers will similar agendas have sprung up and continue to inflict irreparable damage on community relations between the  Sinhala and Muslim people by way of  boycott calls and social media hate. 

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