Philatelic Bureau of the Department of the Post issued four new postage stamps with a value of Rs. 5.00 on the 10th of April 2012.

Sri Lanka are indeed pleased to be able to issue four stamps to mark the Sinhala - Hindu New Year which is celebrated by a majority of the people at a grand scale, specially at a time like this when Sinhala -Tamil friendship has grown in leaps an bounds. This festival initially came to being as the festival of gratitude and worship to the Sun, which the ancient people believed was the owner an controller of all objects in the universe. Ancient documents says that this festival was known as the festival of the auspicious times. they must have called it so because everything during this period was done at an auspicious time.

The new year dawns with the transmigration of the Sun from house of Pisces to the house of Aries, followed by people bathing after watching the new moon. The period of transmigration of the Sun from one house to the other is known as the 'inauspicious' period. There are no auspicious times during this period so, people do not do anything and instead engage in religious activities. This period is also known as the 'Pious Period' because people engage in religious activities.

After this comes the other auspicious time at which people make hearths an prepare milk rice which is very tasty. Then the chief occupant of the house does New Year transactions in new year attire worn by all members of the house in the prescribed color for the ensuring year followed by the milk rice being eaten by the members of the house. Children derive immense pleasure by sharing new year sweetments with neighbors and visiting relative. Among the very popular traditional new year games enjoyed by the people during this period are playing dice, playing swing etc...

Another significant even attached to the new year is the anointing of oil. This is usually done in the village temple or in the house of village indigenous doctor. A mixture of a number of herbs are made prior to the anointing of oil at the auspicious time. The new year period comes to its end with people leaving the hose at the auspicious time for cultivations and various other jobs. Everybody hopes that the ensuring year will be prosperous and healthy by doing things at given auspicious times. The Hindus bathe by anointing herbal juices on the head after the new year and boiling milk followed by visiting the Kovil and engaging in various religious activities hoping for a prosperous year.