The interpretation of the influence of the paths of planetary bodies and the stars plays a large role in Sri Lankan life, including the selection of auspicious times for special events, such as New Year’s celebrations.
The scheduling of important events in South Asia is often highly dependent on some version of the astrological calendar, most of which trace their roots to the Hindu calendar of ancient India. These astrological calendars usually vary by the importance placed on the movement of different celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and constellations. The Thamil calendar is based heavily on the solar cycle, while the Sinhalese Buddhist calendar leans more towards the lunisolar cycle, taking into account the movement of both the sun and the moon.
These astrological interpretations play such a large part in Sri Lankan life that the Sri Lankan government has a 42-member State Astrologers’ Committee under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs which is responsible for determining the auspicious times for important state events. While the Committee was only established in 1983, astrologers also play a substantial role in daily life, as they are consulted as to everything from personal relationships to jobs to mundane tasks.
Political players also rely heavily on astrologers, sometimes to their detriment. A well-known example of this is the 2015 decision by former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to call a snap election two years ahead of schedule based on his personal astrologer’s assertion that he would win a great victory if the election was conducted on that date. Unfortunately for Rajapakse, he instead suffered a great loss and was ousted.
Another astrological controversy seems to have arisen in regards to the designation of the auspicious time for Sri Lankan New Year this year. The time is usually calculated as the time it takes the sun to transit from the house of Pisces to the house of Ares, with the halfway point being assigned as the official time of New Year. Hence, Sri Lankan New Year occurs not in January, but normally in April, and the official time rarely if ever falls at midnight.
The State Astrologers’ Committee has decided that the Sri Lankan New Year of 2024 will fall on 9:05 PM ITC on April 13, with the six hours and twenty-four minutes around that moment being the time of the transit. However, five members of the Committee disagreed with the calculations, so the Committee determined the time by majority vote, which four of the five dissenters eventually signed off on. Nevertheless, one member, Roshan Chanaka, has insisted that Sri Lanka will “go up in flames” if the calculations are not corrected and the official time not changed. Considering Sri Lanka is currently still recovering from an economic crisis, predicting difficulties in the future does not seem to require much insight.