Sinhala & Tamil New Year 2026
Aluth Avurudda (Sinhala) / Puththandu (Tamil) — the Sun’s ingress into Mesha (Aries), Sri Lanka Standard Time.
| Date | Tuesday, 14 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Exact moment | 09:32 |
Auspicious Times (Nekath Seettuwa) 2026
| Date | Time | Observance | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr | 09:32 | New Year dawn (solar ingress into Mesha) | Independently checked |
| 14 Apr | 03:08–15:56 | Punya Kalaya / Nonagathaya (neutral/inauspicious transition period) | Transcribed |
| 14 Apr | 10:51 | Preparing the New Year meal (milk rice, sweets) | Transcribed |
| 14 Apr | 12:06 | Commencing work, transactions and partaking in meals | Transcribed |
| 15 Apr | 06:55 | Anointing with oil (traditional herbal bath) | Transcribed |
| 20 Apr | 06:27 | Leaving home for work (Nikma / Raksha) | Transcribed |
| 23 Apr | 09:01 | Planting tree saplings | Disputed |
New Year dawn (solar ingress into Mesha): Matches this site's own sankranti-engine calculation (api/sankranti-punya-kalam, class vishuva) to the minute.
Punya Kalaya / Nonagathaya (neutral/inauspicious transition period): Both sources agree exactly on this window.
Preparing the New Year meal (milk rice, sweets): Secondary source (Gazette.lk) gives 10:41 -- a 10-minute discrepancy between the two sources. Primary (Ada Derana) figure used.
Commencing work, transactions and partaking in meals: Secondary source gives 12:05 -- 1-minute variance, likely rounding of the same underlying figure.
Anointing with oil (traditional herbal bath): Secondary source gives 06:54 -- 1-minute variance. State ceremony held at Natha Devalaya, Kandy, jointly organised by the Department of Ayurveda and Department of Culture.
Leaving home for work (Nikma / Raksha): Both sources agree exactly.
Planting tree saplings: Secondary source (Gazette.lk) gives 11:36 -- a 2.5-hour discrepancy. The 09:01 figure (Ada Derana) also matches an independent report found in earlier research this project did in October 2026, giving it two-source support against Gazette.lk's one; still flagged disputed rather than resolved.
Not shown because no verified source was found: Hearth-lighting (Helawalam) time -- a third-party aggregator (friday.lk) claims 2026-04-05 11:08, but this is not corroborated by either source above and was not included. Auspicious colour for the year. Auspicious direction for the year. Recommended foods beyond the milk-rice/sweets meal already listed.
Issued by: Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs (Sri Lanka) — Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, announced 2026-03-17. Primary source: Ada Derana, https://www.adaderana.lk/news/119855/avurudu-nekath-seettuwa-for-sinhala-and-tamil-new-year-released