Janet's Journal

April has been busy, it is a time of religious festivals and public holidays. Ramadan started on 1st April and will end on 2nd May with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a two day festival, this year on 13th-14th April. Temples are visited and offerings given, traditional sweets are made and families gather together to enjoy meals and games. I boiled the milk in a little clay pot until it spills over as is the custom.

On the Saturday Jetwing gave their annual New Year Party on the grass between Blue and Beach hotels.

Great fun was had by all who attended. The stalls gave out traditional foods and drinks to sample, including milk tea with coconut toffee, milk toffee and ganakata biscuits.

The toddy tapper ran a stall giving fresh toddy, black pork curry, manioc and chickpea curry.

Another stall was laden with sweets and different varieties of bananas. Falooda to drink and freshly fried Komi completed the feast.

A band played classical sinhala music as a background to the fun and games. Sack races for the children, pillow fights, pin the eye on the elephant and a gentle swing were amongst the activities.

Then it was Easter, an amazing time here in Negombo. The more than sixty five Catholic Churches were bursting at the seams on Good Friday (called Big Friday here).

Each one had thousands of worshipers filling the building, extensive grounds and spilling out onto the streets.

Local businesses and private homes were offering free drinks to anyone, either cold saruwath or hot kanjee. Opposite St Sebastian’s in Sea Street free ice creams were being handed out.

I decided not to join in the crush and went to Rio’s Ice Cream Parlour for a sundae.

Easter Saturday (Alleluia Saturday) finishes with evening Mass again attended by thousands. By Easter Sunday it is all over and people party with friends and family.

Although the scheduled power cuts are ongoing my house falls into the ‘tourist’ area and for the time being is exempt. So now I can catch up on my blog writing!