Sri Lanka, April 7 -- Though the world embraces the New Year on January 1 each year, Sri Lanka is home to a unique kind of New Year celebration in April. Known as the Sinhala and Tamil 'Aluth Avurudu' festival, this celebration is not only enjoyed by the Sinhala and Tamil community today, but also people from different ethnic groups, religions and nations.

With celebrations starting on April 13 and ending with the oil anointing ceremony, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year is considered as the biggest national celebration in the country as it features many rituals and customs. Though it is vital to follow these age-old traditions to obtain blessings for the coming year and to preserve them for the future generations, one also needs to keep an...