Sri Lankans in Ethiopia celebrate Sinhala and Tamil New Year

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Sri Lankan nationals who are living and working in Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Addis Ababa organized a Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival on 21 April 2024 in the Hawassa Industrial Park. This year’s festival was particularly organized by the Sri Lankans in Hawassa with the support of the Sri Lankans living in other parts of Ethiopia.

The event commenced with the welcoming of the invited guests at a splendidly created Sri Lankan traditional village in the Industrial Park. The ceremony  also included hoisting of the national flags followed by singing of the national anthems of Sri Lanka and Ethiopia and lighting of the traditional oil lamp.

During his remarks, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) & the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), K.K. Theshantha Kumarasiri, who graced the event said that the true value of traditional ceremonies can never be under – estimated and that the value of our togetherness continues to act as a bond between Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. “Culture is amongst the most important aspects of human life and behavior, and Sri Lanka recognizes that culture is an essential component of human development and an important factor in social inclusion”, the Ambassador further added. Ambassador Kumarasiri also said that the New Year festival provides us with joy and happiness. Therefore, we Sri Lankans, as a nation with a rich cultural heritage are so lucky and proud to celebrate  the New Year in Hawassa together with colleagues and friends.

A number of Avurudu games  such as mini marathon, bursting of balloons, obstacle running, finding the hidden person, breaking pots, eating buns, lime and spoon race, placing the eye on the elephant, thread and needle, passing the egg, pillow fighting, folk songs, musical chairs and tug of war were enjoyed by both local and foreign participants. All participants were treated to delectable Sri Lankan traditional cuisine including milk rice, kavum, kokis, young jackfruit curry, cashew curry, and appetizing hathmaluwa.

This grand event was attended by distinguished members of the government of Ethiopia, representatives of the Hawassa Industrial Park, representatives of the City Administration, members of the diplomatic corps, top management of the Ethiopian Commercial Bank, members of the Sri Lankan community in Ethiopia, friends of Sri Lanka and the staff of the Embassy of Sri Lanka, and their family members.

The winners of the games received beautiful wooden trophies designed by the Sri Lankan citizens in Hawassa city. A souvenir mug  depicting the culture of Sri Lanka was also presented to each participating guest.

The visit to Hawassa by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Ethiopia  also included a tour to  Sri Lankan manufacturing companies at the Hawassa Industrial Park, notably Indochine Apparel PLC, Sumbiri Hela Intimate PLC, Hela Indocine PLC and Hirdaramani Apparel. During the visit, the top management of those factories with Sri Lankan expertise explained the process of manufacturing and their contribution to the apparel industry in Ethiopia. The Ambassador and the Embassy staff witnessed the outstanding contribution of Sri Lankan professionals in the apparel industry to the economy of Ethiopia.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Sri Lanka.