The Month of August-by Sugee Kannangara Source:Brisbane 4EB Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – August 2021 Named after Augustus Caesar, the illustrious first emperor of Rome known as one of the most effective leaders in human history, August is a month of august events. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements of indigenous people and their contribution to important world issues such as food production and environmental protection. International Youth Day (IYD) held on 12 August is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The first IYD was observed on 12 August 2000. The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, which aims to highlight the importance of youth participation in the wellbeing ...

Read More →

The Month of July-by Sugee Kannangara Source:Brisbane 4EB Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – July 2021 July is named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. In July, while the northern hemisphere enjoys mid- summer, the shortest day passed on 21 June, the southern hemisphere dreams of lengthening days, albeit cold. According to western tradition, July birthstone is Ruby, the gemstone associated with contentment, love, and integrity. The flower of July is the Water Lilly symbolic of love and life. The full moon in July is known as the Buck Moon because it is around this time that new antlers emerge from a buck’s forehead. The full moon poya day in July is significant to Sri Lankan Buddhists. It is known as the day the Buddha’s tooth relic, the symbol of sovereignty of the land was brought by Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha. ...

Read More →

April is the Month for Celebration-Sugee Kannangara Source:Dæhæna – Monthly e-Newsletter – April 2021 April is named after the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite is associated with love, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. Romans called her Venus. It was believed that Aphrodite was born out of seafoam. The Greek word ‘aphros’ means seafoam. The Latin word ‘aperit’ means ‘to open’. In the northern hemisphere, April is the month of the growing season when trees and flowers begin to ‘open’. While the western tradition explains natural phenomena through mythology, it seems that eastern tradition found meaning in practices steeped in human behaviour – such as rituals and festivities that brought people together. In many South and Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives, the traditional New Year which brings the entire nation together is celebrated in mid – April ...

Read More →

(JANERU) – Heralds the New Year! Source:Dæhæna – Monthly e-Newsletter January 2021 January, named after the two-faced Roman god Janus- the God of Gateways and Beginnings, who sees both the coming and the going, replaced March as the first month of the Roman year in 153 BC under a decree of the second King of Rome Numa Pontilius, who added January to the existing Roman calendar of 10 months. The New Year was moved from March to January because that was the beginning of the civil year, the month the two newly elected Roman consuls – the highest officials in the Roman republic – began their one-year tenure. It is significant that the change of an age-old tradition was prompted by the election of officials by civilians. Although January 1st is considered the beginning of the New Year according to the widely used Gregorian calendar, not every country celebrates January ...

Read More →

    SARALANGA 2019 – 28 Years of Creativity On Saturday the 28th September, Saralanga – the premier cultural extravaganza of the Sri Lankan Community in Brisbane, presented by the Sinhala Association of QLD (SAQ), graced the stage of Moreton Bay College, delighting a packed audience. The purpose of Saralanga is twofold: to promote Sri Lankan traditional performing arts among the new generations of Australians of Sri Lankan heritage and share it with the general Australian public; to showcase the creativity of the Sri Lankan community in Brisbane. The appreciation of this aspiration was clearly established by the comments made by the invited guests Anton Swan (Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Qld.) Joan Pease MP (Member for Lytton, Senior Government Whip) and Wayne Briscoe (Executive Director, Multicultural Affairs Queensland & Engagement). The high standard of performance was unmistakable. The hallmark of Saralanga 2019 was that it brought on stage ...

Read More →