How a Sinhala sweet became a medicine ...

How a Sinhala sweet became a medicine ..

(I use Google Translate because my knowledge of English is very limited. Point out any errors. Thank you.)

    April is the month of the Sinhala New Year in Sri Lanka. This Sinhala New Year is traditionally celebrated on the 12th, 13th and 14th of April. Various rituals are performed here. Astrologers in Sri Lanka create auspicious times for each of these rituals. All Sinhalese and Tamil people in Sri Lanka perform these rituals at that time.

1. Seeing the new moon

2. Bath for the old year

3. Charity time

4. New Year's Eve

5. Ignite the stove and cook

6. Dealing and eating

7. Oil the head

8. Leaving for work.

    The above rituals play a major role in this festival.

    There is definitely a “kavum” at the dining table this festive season. There are several types of kavus in Sri Lanka. "Hair kavum", "spoon kavum", "mung kavum" and "naran kavum" are some of them. Today we are talking about "spoon kevum" and "hair kevum". 

    During the British occupation of Sri Lanka, they saw this "kavum" as a very popular confection in Sri Lanka. They realized that the possession of this food by the Sinhalese during the wars was to the disadvantage of the whites. There were several reasons for this. "Kawum" is a delicious dish that can be kept in normal environmental condition for several weeks without spoiling. Therefore, every Sinhala soldier had this delicacy nearby and they never had a shortage of food.

    And these were very nutritious food. It made the Sinhalese strong and healthy during the war. The Sinhalese also knew that a few days old "kavum" had the miraculous power of healing small wounds such as scratches. Therefore, this confectionery was a great headache for the English.

    So the English spread a story to keep this food away from the Sinhalese. They insulted the Sinhalese by saying "Sinhalese are idiots - the giant who eats kavum". Somehow, due to this story, the sweets seemed to be alienated from the society at that time, but to this day, kavum is still one of the main dishes on the New Year's table. There is no such thing as a New Year's dinner table in Sri Lanka.