The Festival of the Sun-god

By J. B. Disanayaka

(April 14, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Long long time ago, people worshipped nature: the sun, the moon, the rain, the wind and so on. They saw God in Nature. The Sun became the Sun-god, (Iru Deviyo) the moon, the Moon-god, (Sanda Deviyo) and rain, the Rain-god (Vassa Valahaka Deviyo).For people who farmed, there were no gods higher than the sun, the moon and the rain that brought them a bountiful harvest.

These gods gave the Sinhala farmers sun and rain in due season. They worked in their fields in the sun and threshed their paddy by moon-light. As they worked, they chanted songs in honour of these gods:

Me kaage me kamataa?

Iru deviyange kamataa

Me kaage me kamataa?

Sanda deviyange kamataa

Iru deviyan vaediya taene

Bol pini notibeyi etaene

Sanda deviyan vaediya taene

Kaluwara notibei etaene

Whose is this threshing floor?

To the Sun-god, it belongs,

Whose is this threshing floor?

To the Moon-god it belongs.

Wherever goes the Sun-god

There will be no dew drops.

Wherever goes the Moon-god

There will be no darkness.

The Sinhala farmers have a festival every year to respect the Sun-God, the Moon-god and Sat Pattini, the Goddess of Fertility. It is held in the Sinhala month of Bak, which falls in April. It is held at this time because it marks the re-entry of the sun into a new year. This New Year is based on a traditional calendar known as the Shaka year. It was named after the Shakas, a dynasty of powerful Indian kings. According to the this calendar, the common year 2006 is Shaka year 1928.

The Tamil Hindus too celebrate their traditional New Year in April.

This booklet is about the wonder that surrounds, this Festival of the Sun-god celebrated by Sri Lankan Buddhists.

In the belief of ancient people the Sun-god travels in a circle, known as the zodiac. It is divided into twelve segments known as ‘raashi’: the first being ‘mesha" (Aries) represented by a ram (a male sheep) and the last being ‘mina’ (pisces) represented by two fish The Sun-god takes one year to travel from Aries to Pisces.

As the Sun-god completes his time in Pisces, he comes to the end of a year: the Old Year (parana avurudda). As the Sun-god moves completely into Aries, he begins another year: the New Year (alut Avurudda). It takes a few hours for the Sun-god to move completely from Pisces to Aries. At this time, the Sun-god is in transit between the Old year and the New Year. He is now at a crossing. A Crossing, even on a road, can be dangerous.

At this period of time, when the Sun-god is ‘crossing’, he is neither in the Old Year nor in the New Year. Thus he is ‘out-of-time’. He is passing through a period of time that can be called a ‘no-man’s time’, as it were. This period is called ‘nonagate’ in Sinhala, meaning ‘no auspicious moments’.

If this is a ‘no man’s time’, with no auspicious moments, then it can be a very dangerous period of time. Anything may happen. Thus one has to be careful about what one does during this period. There are a few do’s and don’ts that must be observed during the period.

Firstly, one needs protection from evil and danger. Thus every Buddhist visits the temple in search of religious protection. This time (kaalaya) when he makes offerings at the temple to acquire merit (punya) is called ‘punya kaalaya’ in Sinhala.

During this period of danger, all symbols of fertility such as fire, water and milk must not be touched. Before the end of the Old Year, the fires in the hearth are put out. No food is cooked in the house. No water is drawn from the well.

Work is a symbol of active living. Thus all work is suspended during the nonagate. The opposite of work is play. Remember what our parents always said?

"Work while you work

Play while you play

That is the way

To e happy and gay"

Both elders and children play together during this period. They begin work again only at an, auspicious moment after the dawn of the New Year. The Sun-god begins his New Year in April. April is the month that brings fortune and prosperity to the Sinhala village. The name Bak by which this month is known in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘bhaagya’, which means fortune and prosperity. It is the time when the Sinhala farmer brings home the new harvest of the maha season.

The Sinhala farmer cultivates rice twice a year. The main season is maha and the other is yala. He reaps his maha harvest in April. (From The Festival of the Sun-god)