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2019 Easter tragedy looms over New Year festive air
The celebratory mood was decidedly tempered this New Year as Sri Lankans welcomed 2020. Given that 2019 was such a dark year for many owing to the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, many people had perhaps felt reluctant to celebrate the New Year in a grand manner.
Crowds at Gangaramaya temple (above) and religious ceremonies in Matara (below left) and at the Kalutara Divisional Secretariat (below right). Pix by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk and Sunil Thanthiriarachchi
As with Christmas, fireworks were markedly less this New Year as people restrained themselves from celebrating in such a manner. Even fireworks related injuries had reduced dramatically. Health officials revealed that only four persons had been admitted to Colombo National Hospital during the New Year while 19 were admitted last year. This is a reduction of 78 percent. Even the number of people admitted due to accidents had declined from last year.
Port City Colombo organised a grand fireworks display to ring in the New Year while there was also a musical show on Galle Face Green.
Many hotels had still organised New Year dances and festive events, but the number of attendees were also visibly less than last year.
Some of the hotels had reduced their ticket prices compared to previous years, but still were unable to attract enough numbers.
Places of religious worship however, had large crowds as people marked the dawn of the New Year. Devotees from various religions held programmes invoking blessings on the country and its people for the New Year. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa too was among those who ushered in the New Year by partaking in religious ceremonies and receiving blessings at Kataragama.
The Government’s national programme to plant one million trees in the country also got underway on January 1, with the main ceremony held at Mahamevuna Uyana in Anuradhapura. Trees were planted in different locations throughout the island including at the Polgasdoowa Aranya Senansanaya in Galle. Four hundred tree saplings, including 200 mangrove saplings were transported to the island via boats and planted there.
Various activities to foster unity between different communities and build reconciliation were also held. One of these was the releasing of 300 “racing pigeons” at Galle Fort. The event was organised by the Southern Racing Pigeon Federation and the pigeons were those belonging to young people from Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities.
300 pigeons were released in Galle. Pic by Gamini Mahadura
Port City: Firecrackers light up the night sky. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe