“May the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year which we cherish and celebrate annually give pride of place to our cultural values and help all people in this island to dispel differences among fellow beings and help them live in harmony under a peaceful and prosperous climate, states Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa in his New Year message yesterday.
“The New Year is the occasion that we Sri Lankans reckon with the transcending of the sun from the sign of pisces to the sign of aries in the solar system.
We celebrate the occasion by observing our age old customs and traditions displaying our national identity and fill our hearts with compassion. Under such conditions prevailing today, may the flames of war extinguish and permit the people to co-exist as children of one mother, wished the Minister.
We must share and espect each other - Home Affairs Minister
Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs and the Leader of UNP Democratic Group Karu Jayasuriya in a New Year message states: Today we celebrate the dawn of a New Year. It is a day in the traditional calendar both the Sinhalese and Tamils happily look forward too. More particularly the children of ours. It is a celebration that brings the two main communities namely the Sinhalese and the Tamils on to a common platform.
Hardly anybody can identify any difference between these two communities who share the same tradition and rituals during this festive season. Yet our inability to understand the inner meaning of these traditions has left society torn apart.
The traditions and rituals observed by both communities during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year to my mind embodies a strong meaning and a message that needs to be recognised by all of us and put to practice in whatever the way we can.
From the time of the ‘Punya Kalaya’ we all observe a series of rituals and traditions both religious and cultural which echo the sentiments of unity, peace, forgiveness, sharing and caring and the basic behaviour expected of people for building a good society and a nation at large. Today politically we have committed ourselves to that cause.
We believe that Sri Lanka is the Motherland for all of us irrespective of our religious, ethnic, and other differences. We are vested with an inescapable responsibility or rebuilding a nation to make it a safer and a happier place to live for our children. It is my belief that our shared values and culture should provide a firm foundation in our efforts in rebuilding society.
The dawn of the New Year apart from its celebrative aspect provides an ample opportunity for us to reflect on the deeper meaning of these traditions and rituals and think how best we could use them for the progress of the nation.
Therefore lets make a firm commitment in the New Year that we will do our best to make our motherland once again a happier place to live for all communities in the spirit of sharing, caring and respect for each other.
‘Harmony and prosperity among all communities’ - Deputy Minister of Nation Building
“It is my ardent wish and prayer that the ushering of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year would herald peace, harmony and prosperity among all communities of this country and lead to end the decades-long ethnic conflict”, Deputy Minister of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development, Muthu Sivalingam MP, has stated in his new year message, states a press release from the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development.
The unresolved ethnic conflict as well as narrow political outlooks of self-seeking political leaders have largely contributed to the untold sufferings and despair of people living in several parts of the island. Such political outlooks should change for the larger benefit of the nation and the people, the Deputy Minister has further stated in his message.
We should also make a pledge to work for the uplift of the down-trodden plantation community, he said, adding that it should also be our genuine endeavour to end the travails and tribulations of the people of the North and East, he added.”
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