They can be played by anyone and are sometimes made up spontaneously to suit the rhythm of the drum beat and are easy to remember. The rhymes are simple verses which may or may not have any meaning to them. The drum used, the ‘banku’ rabana, is played mostly by women. The ‘raban pada’ is associated with the New Year– rhymes which are recited while playing the drums. Most aspects of village life were accompanied by song. There is even evidence which suggests that there was music and dance during the time of King Vijaya. It was an ancient form of stress relief as well as entertainment for the villagers. Professor Mudiyanse Dissanayake, Senior Professor of the Faculty of Dance of the University of Visual and Performing Arts says music is intimately connected to almost every aspect of the ancient Sinhala lifestyle. Other aspects of the festivities which have music incorporated into them are much older and more traditional. This led to the popularity of short songs which could be distributed via records. He also attributes the rise of the ‘ sarala geethaya’, or simple song, to the rise of the gramophone record which could only retain around three to four minutes of music. Senior lecturer of the Music Faculty of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Saman Panapitiya says such songs came into existence after the 1950s. The Avurudu songs aren’t actually traditional but are in fact, much newer additions to the Avurudu festivities. Everyone knows the many Avurudu songs which are played over the radio but did you know that Avurudu has much more to offer musicwise? There is music too associated with the celebrations. As the New Year dawns, the festivities begin- tables are laden with mouth-watering sweetmeats and there is time to join in the many games that are closely related to the celebration of Avurudu. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a time when Sri Lankans by and large, take a break from their usual daily routines and observe customs and traditions. Raban pada are sometimes spontaneous creations
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