SRI LANKA'S TSUNAMI SURVIVORS PIN HOPES ON TRADITIONS

By Simon Gardner, Reuters, April 14, 2005

At last April's traditional Sri Lankan New Year festival, fisherman Gomes Jayasekera prayed for bigger catches. This year, awaking in a camp for tsunami displaced, he prays to survive.

Jayasekera lost his father and two fishing boats to Asia's tsunami, and now
lives in a stiflingly hot field tent in this tiny village on the outskirts
of the ravaged southern port town of Galle, surviving on government rations
and handouts from a local church.

But while his heart is heavy with grief, he and millions of other fellow
Sri Lankans rose before dawn, dressed in pale green and cooked milk rice
whilst facing north to honour the annual harvest festival in line with the
instructions of government-consulted astrologers.

"I am in a sorrowful mood," the 53-year-old said in his native Sinhala,
clutching his sarong as he prepared a harvest breakfast with a dozen fellow
tsunami survivors. "But these are the traditions of our ancestors, so we
must do them and hope."

"I am not celebrating like I did last year. Instead I am wishing for a new
job or a new boat -- until I get a new boat I can't do anything," he added,
laying out bowls of traditional sweet meats and pickled onions in a
pavilion made from matted palm fronds.

Traditionally Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese and Tamil communities, who
mark the same New Year, hold late night parties with friends and family
according to a timetable astrologers decide with the help of planetary charts.

But as the Indian Ocean island struggles to return to normality after Sri
Lanka's worst natural disaster in memory flattened coastal towns and
villages and swept around 40,000 people to their deaths, this year's
festival is low key out of respect for the dead.

TRADITIONS LIVE ON

"I think many people are reluctant to celebrate this occasion because of
the tsunami disaster," said Cultural Affairs and National Heritage
Secretary Premalal Gunasekara. "But they will follow the auspicious times
announced by the astrologers."

"The people are suffering a lot, so we can use this occasion to reconstruct
their strength, both physically and mentally," he added, referring to
traditions dating back more than 1,000 years.

In some camps for displaced, communities living in temporary shelters and
tents just yards away from the razed foundations of their homes, held
traditional games for children. New Year songs blared out on loudspeakers,
and some children threw firecrackers.

But for many the mood was sombre as they went to Buddhist temples to pray
for those swallowed up by the tsunami. White flags of mourning and
streamers lined the streets.

"I will pray to remember my dead friends and for all the tsunami-affected
people," said 29-year-old Udaya Liyanage, whose antique store was destroyed
by December's towering waves but whose immediate family lives inland and
escaped unscathed.

He will also pray for his business. A tent now stands where his beachside
shop used to, but inside he has only photographs of the items he used to
sell. All the furniture was washed away.

"This is I think the most important New Year festival of this generation.
So many people have faced mental collapse. Will we be saved or not?" he added.