Sunday 14th April was Sinhala New Year.
In Sri Lanka, people would have been preparing for weeks - cleaning the house, buying gifts and ingredients for food and planning. All to celebrate with loved ones, eating loads of delicious food, exchanging gifts and generally having a good time.
Everyone follows the auspicious times and traditions liking light lamps, cooking milk rice, wearing the right colours - all great fun even at 3.02am.
In Edinburgh, I too had Sinhala New Year.
I was going to ensure the front of our house looked welcoming and clean. So I was going to paint our front windows and get new window boxes with loads of plants.
Front windows are rotten and had to be replaced. So this is currently the welcome people get.
Never mind. I polished and cleaned the inside of the house just like my ma did. Brasso was bought as you have to make the brass shine. And I associate Brasso with New Year.
Next - time to make the goodies. Now I can't make all the fancy Sinhala new year delicacies - that needs patience and time. So I cheated and made my favourites.
Iced Coffee with lots of brandy. Devilled eggs (not traditional but we love them), hoppers (sort of pancakes ususally eaten for breakfast), prawn curry (as I couldn't find crabs) with Deema's Spice, kiribath (coconut rice), pol sambol (coconut sambol) and love cake.
I have never made love cake before but my brother sent me a recipe and it didn't seem too difficult. It tastes bloody good but would have been better if I had used cashew nuts and not peanuts. Should have gone to spec savers said my eldest.
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| Hoppers |
Hoppers need a special pan. I dont have one. They became pancakes. Ho hum.
Kiribath is meant to be flattened and cut into diamond shapes. Mine was mush.
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| Kiribath |
Pol sambol is made with fresh coconut. Desiccated coconut substitute was just lame.
But I was ready for the New Year: I had food, the brass was polished and the house was clean.
Not sure my ma would have quite approved but I know she would have laughed a lot.
