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The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
@HistoryCeylon
Apr 13, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
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Happy Sinhalese & Tamil New Year to Everyone!

For centuries this has been an important celebration for Sri Lankans of all backgrounds...

Take a look at how it started and where it evolved from below...

#HappyNewYear2022 #Srilanka #Otd #History #ceylon #newyear #lka #celebrate
There is no definite origin story for the Sri Lankan New Year and most scholar point to a multitude of sources that all evolved into what we now celebrate today. But, it can be said that the modern festival originated in the 1500s during the Sītāvaka Period.
The celebration has a long history in India which likely influenced the date for the festival in Sri Lanka as both places have had a history of cultural exchange and movement for millennia.
Scholar also point to how the festival came out of traditional agricultural festivals. The traditions of New Year such as sun worship derive from the Subsistence lifestyles many ancient peoples lived under. Usually this would occur after the spring equinox.
"Astrology and Ᾱyurvēda also on
their part have added various values to different aspects of the New Year Festival." Astrological patterns may have combined with traditional medicinal practices which led to traditional New Year foods such as milk rice and ghee.
There were probably multiple historical factors that contributed to the New Year festival. But, it's important to remember that originated out of both Hindu and Buddhist cultures and traditions, showing how cultural exchange can create a vibrant and uplifting holiday.
To learn more, check out this paper by Jayantha Amarasinghe and Nuwan Isura seelawansha about the origins of the New Year festival...
ijac.org.uk/images/frontIm…

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More from @HistoryCeylon

The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Aug 3, 2022
Kattankandy Mosque Massacre

#OnThisDay (3 Aug 1990), 147 worshippers were massacred by the LTTE at two different mosques in Kattankandy, Batticoloa. Disguised as Muslim worshippers themselves, 30 perpetrators attacked the over 300 people, spraying gunfire.

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"I was kneeling down and praying when the rebels started shooting. The firing went on for 15 minutes. I escaped without being hit and found myself among bodies all over the place."
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The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Aug 3, 2022
#OnThisDay (2-3 Aug 1989), the Valvettiturai massacre occurred where 64 Tamil civilians were killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force. The massacre was in retaliation of an LTTE attack on the IPKF that killed 6 soldiers.

#History #Srilanka #lka
"At the junction there were hundreds of IPKF soldiers. I saw there many cars smashed up. Most of the shops at the junction had been burnt down. I saw many dead bodies in front of the shops."
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Read 6 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Aug 2, 2022
Interesting...from what I'm seeing, after the Kandyan Convention in 1815, the Sinhala numeral system fell out of fashion and where replaced with the Arabic numerals we know today.
#history #srilanka #lka ImageImageImage
Looking at some of Sri Lanka's oldest civil registration records done under British rule, it looks like only Arabic numerals are used (1822 Colombo Marriage Records). Image
Additionally, there was also a Tamil Numeral System (shown below) that was also used many centuries ago. It probably originated from India and you can probably find some modern examples of it being used. Image
Read 4 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 26, 2022
Black July in Black and White

🧵TW: Violence

A look at the photos from Black July

#BlackJuly1983 #BlackJuly #SriLanka #History #lka
"Mobs of Sinhala youth rampaged through the streets, ransacking homes, shops and offices, looting them and setting them ablaze, as they sought out members of the Tamil ethnic minority." - London Daily Telegraph
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Read 8 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 26, 2022
TW: Violence

When we look at the history behind Black July, its not only Sri Lankan Tamils that were affected. Indian Tamils also suffered during this tragic time. Here are some of the stories from then...
Nuwara Eliya (29 July 1983)
Nuwara Eliya (29 July 1983)
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The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 25, 2022
Today in History (24-30 July 1983)

39 years ago, an Anti-Tamil Pogrom descended across Sri Lanka eventually escalating into mass violence killing thousands. This week, we'll be hearing the stories of the victims, trying to stop it from happening again.

#BlackJuly1983 #LKA
“While travelling on a bus when a mob laid siege to it, passengers watched as a small boy was hacked ‘to limb-less death.’ The bus driver was ordered to give up a Tamil. He pointed out a woman who was desperately trying to erase the mark on her forehead..."
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-William McGowan (2/2)
Read 6 tweets

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