AHQ Greets New Year with Customary Tea Table

The customary Sinhala and Tamil New Year tea table and get-together at the Army Headquarters (AHQ) got underway Friday (20) morning with Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of the Army, gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest.

On arrival at the venue, the Commander was welcomed by the Chief of Staff and Senior Officers including the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Adjutant General at the Army Headquarters.

The inauguration of the day’s symbolic New Year treat, coloured with many varieties of traditional sweetmeats and milk rice took place after the day's Chief Guest set light to the traditional oil lamp, together with the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff.

It signalled the commencement of partaking of customary meals, filled with typical New Year food varieties, like oil cakes (kevum), kokis, athirasa, wandu, munkevum, etc.

Lieutenant General Senanayake during refreshments moved about freely and spoke to a cross section of the gathering and shared a couple of views with them on general matters of training, welfare and professional interest. He also made a point to spend nearly one hour to mingle with other rankers who had been invited to the tea table.