Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted amnesty to nearly 800 convicts to commemorate the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, as announced by his office in Colombo.
This amnesty follows the release of 1,000 prisoners to mark Christmas. According to a prisons official cited by AFP, recent amnesties have helped alleviate congestion in the country’s overcrowded jails.
Despite these efforts, Sri Lankan prisons still house just under 30,000 inmates, exceeding their designed capacity of around 11,000 individuals.
However, this year’s celebrations were overshadowed by conflicting timetables announced by an official panel of astrologers tasked with determining the schedule for traditional ceremonies.
The government has urged citizens to adhere to the ruling of a majority of 42 astrologers, advising the public to light a stove and prepare their first meals of the year immediately after midnight.
Despite this directive, dissenting voices advocate for the ritual to occur on Sunday morning at a “godly hour,” cautioning that failure to follow their timetable could lead to significant misfortune for the island nation, currently navigating through an unprecedented economic crisis.
Astrologers wield significant influence within the island’s Buddhist and Hindu communities, and their judgments on auspicious dates shape various aspects of life, including marriages, business dealings, and even national election schedules.
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa notably called for a snap election in January 2015 based on the recommendation of his personal astrologer, only to suffer defeat in the polls.
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