Avurudhu – New Beginnings
Today I received an Avurudhu kevili plate with milk rice, kevum, kokis, moju, thalaguli and marshmallows. That very mix truly represents who we are – a healthy marriage of many cultures, traditions and people. The plate was from my neighbour who gives me kevili for Avurudhu and I give her breudher and chocolates for Christmas and Easter.
I was heading to my friend’s house for lunch decked in a deep red & bronze lungi with a beeralu lace top. Though my friend is Christian, they celebrate Avurudhu with the lighting of the lamp, boiling of milk and the traditional foods etc. They also have a fun Avurudhu games session which has continued from down the lane when we were in school, to their back garden. This time’s lunch included boiled jak fruit with a nai miris pol sambol and pork curry. It was delicious and I polished it off with a good kondey kevum at the end.
I spent some of the afternoon in the garden with the kids and on the swing, chatting to different people. I was reminded of what a bustling household is like – something I missed in one way and in another, I still value my solitude. The children were no longer little, most were now pre-teens and yet it was like yesterday that I remembered them as babies I carried.
It was a reminder in a way of how the seasons come and go, like Avurudhu – a harvest festival that celebrates new light and prosperity – and the passing of time reveals the growth of us not just physically but spiritually, psychologically and emotionally.
It was also my reminder to believe in that future for myself as well – in new light, life and prosperity – a new chapter that needs to commence because the old is no longer relevant and has prepared the way for the new.
It was almost a phoenix-like revelation of sorts – gratitude for what was and is, and hope and belief in the future. From the ashes…rise the phoenix.
