A new festival is being held in the city this Bank Holiday weekend![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1_LLA-Team-1.jpg\")
The Liverpool Lankans Alliance was founded by a group of eight friends \u2014 all of whom share a connection to Liverpool Hope University, either as former students or through their spouses. The founding members are: Ushan Wewalwala, Yasnaka Samaradiwakara, Thisal Jayawardana, Robin Kandaiah, Manoj Chamindlal, Roshan Pussewela, Indika Gamage and Kapila Salwathura(Image: Roshan Pussewela)<\/p>\n
A festival celebrating all things Sri Lankan is taking over Liverpool this weekend. The Sri Lankan New Year \u2014 Aluth Avurudu in Sinhala and Puthandu in Tamil \u2014 is one of the country\u2019s most cherished cultural celebrations.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s community will honour it at the Pavilion (MPSSA) social club on Riverside Drive on Sunday, May 4, with a host of activities, including traditional music and found music and all-around \u201cpure festive vibes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New Year<\/a> period marks the sun’s transition from Meena Rashiya (Pisces) to Mesha Rashiya (Aries), signifying the start of the new astrological year<\/a>. Rituals, from lighting the hearth to exchanging gifts, are based on auspicious times determined by astrologers.<\/p>\n Historically rooted in agriculture, it coincides with the end of the harvest season and the start of the new sowing cycle\u2014a time for gratitude, rest, and renewal in farming communities. It is a season of balance, equality, and fresh starts, not just in agriculture but in relationships, family life, and community bonds.<\/p>\n According to Roshan Pussewela, the city\u2019s Sri Lankan community is \u201csmall but very active\u201d and made up of families, students, professionals, and long-time residents.<\/p>\n The dad hopes the day\u2019s celebrations, put on by the Liverpool Lankans Alliance team, will preserve cultural identity, especially for younger generations growing up in the UK, and share those traditions with the wider community.<\/p>\n The 58-year-old moved to the city from Kandy, a large city in central Sri Lanka, to be with his wife, Ruchira, who was studying at Hope University<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1746218242_607_1_LLA-Team-1.jpg\")
The Liverpool Lankans Alliance was founded by a group of eight friends \u2014 all of whom share a connection to Liverpool Hope University, either as former students or through their spouses. The founding members are: Ushan Wewalwala, Yasnaka Samaradiwakara, Thisal Jayawardana, Robin Kandaiah, Manoj Chamindlal, Roshan Pussewela, Indika Gamage and Kapila Salwathura(Image: Roshan Pussewela)<\/p>\n