Traditions come alive at Shangri – La Hambantota

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year 2023 celebrations was held at Shangri-La Hambantota Resort and Spa on a grand scale. The unbelievable and magical atmosphere was created by the staff for celebrationsThe artisan village at the hotel was the centre of attraction for tourists and locals alike.The artisan village ground at the hotel featured vendors with many traditional items like claypots, wood carvings, brassware etc.

The village styled ‘Kopi Kade’ set up at the hotel grounds served village style coffee to the visitors. The festivities were vibrant and colourful and the tourists at the hotel shared the rituals and enjoyed the dawn of the new year

For many it was an experience by itself to witness the typical village settings recreating festivities of a bygone era.The highlight of the day was lighting of the hearth and boiling milk using a brand new clay pot as a symbol of prosperity.

All new year customs and rituals were done to perfection by Refhan Razeen General Manager. He said ‘ we are happy to celebrate the dawn of the New year this year after a long lapse”

The staff joined in the celebrations with much fervour, staying true to their cultural norms and ethos. It was good to see many tourists taking part in the rituals and clicking photographs Some of the staff members in colourful attire(reddai hatte) joined in the rhythmic dance movements of the rabbana helping onlookers to keep their toes tapping.

There were the many Avurudu games conducted by the staff of the hotel like traditional village style games which included kottapora, sack race, kambaadeema and ended with the selection of the beautiful Avurudu Kumari and Kumaraya.This is what Shangri-La hotel had in store for all their guests and patrons this avuruddu.