By Keerthi Fernando
The month of “Spring” has arrived. In Sinhala terms, April is known as the Bak month. The prime celebration for Sri Lankans—the Sinhala and Hindu New Year—is about to begin. Every year, with the dawn of the New Year, the aroma of Sri Lankan sweets rises from Yagodamulla village. This traditional confectionery village, located in the Gampaha District, produces sweets for the entire country.
The Yagodamulla confectionery village has a long history. Villagers have been practicing and preserving the confectionery industry for generations. Their main livelihood is the production of sweets. Many people do not realize that much of the sweets they purchase from the market to decorate the New Year table are handmade by the traditional confectioners of Yagodamulla.
This village is like a barometer where changes in the country’s economy and social environment are visible. In Yagodamulla, we meet people who endured the Covid-19 pandemic, a collapsed economy, and the Easter Sunday tragedy—times when they could barely afford to eat rice, let alone sweets.
Today, however, these people are happy. After many challenging years, their fortunes have improved. The traditional sweets manufacturers of Yagodamulla, Minuwangoda, report that sales have significantly increased since the beginning of this Sinhala New Year season.
Businesspeople across the country know that delicious, high-quality sweets are produced in the Yagodamulla Sweets Village. Residents know this, too. That is why businessmen and customers from all over Sri Lanka flock to Yagodamulla during the New Year to buy sweets both wholesale and retail.
Dodol, muscat, rulang, coconut cake, konda kevum, athirasa, kokis, mung kevum, asmi, aggala, sau dodol, and many other traditional sweets are produced in bulk here. Although there is demand for these sweets throughout the year, the producers are especially busy during the Sinhala New Year.
When we visited Yagodamulla, we witnessed the lively scene firsthand.
“Business is great this time. Everything we prepared is sold out, and we are preparing food again,” a villager told us with a smile. Amanda added that more people are coming to buy sweets than in previous years.
We visited house after house, each one operating like a small sweet factory. Geethika Sandamaliya shared her experience:
“Our business is very good this Sinhala New Year. Although the prices of raw materials have gone up, we haven’t increased the prices of our sweets. We are selling at the same price as before. Wholesalers, retailers, and regular customers are coming without any shortage. Especially during the New Year, people love to buy sweets like muscat, rulang, and gal muscat to take to their relatives. This New Year has been good for us in terms of sales,” she said with a smile.
Padmasiri Wellalage, another traditional sweet producer, echoed the sentiment:
“Business is very good. We didn’t expect it to be this good, but it’s better than we thought. Our sweets are selling very well.”
“Although the price of coconut oil has increased, we haven’t hurt our customers by raising our prices. For this New Year, we have prepared special sweet boxes filled with a variety of sweets, priced affordably for customers. There is a huge demand from wholesalers, retailers, and regular buyers. I’m sure business will grow even more in the coming days,” he added.
Renuka Kalyani, a master artisan of Yagodamulla famous for her kokis, athirasa, and asmi, also spoke to us:
“This time, demand for sweets is much higher than in other years. I can’t meet the demand. People are requesting thousands of Konda Kevum, Aasmi, Mung Kevum, and Kokis each day. Since the younger generation doesn’t know how to make these sweets and many are too busy, they come to us to buy them.”
“I feel this year is better for people than before. Seeing so many people buying sweets from us makes us happy,” she said.
Vijitha Weerasinghe shared a similar story. She said there is high demand for her orange kevum, konda kevum, and mung kevum.
“We start making sweets from the day before the New Year. We have not increased the price of any sweets,” she confirmed.
E.D. Gnanawathi also shared her heartwarming story. She talked about the overwhelming demand:
“The sweets are sold out, and we are making more. There’s high demand for delicious Konda Kevum, Mung Kevum, and Kokis. People buy these to decorate their New Year tables. That’s why we focus on making the best quality sweets. This business must be done with good faith. Otherwise, it won’t last. One thing I can say is that people are very happy this time,” she said.
Irosh Ranasinghe also expressed his joy, saying:
“New Year business is booming. Dodol, Musat, and Rulang are selling very well. There’s also good demand for coconut cakes. Business has improved since April, which is good for the country.”
One thing is clear: People have been freed from some form of hardship. It’s not that they have a lot of money, but they have gained enough mental freedom to celebrate the New Year. As we mentioned earlier, the Yagodamulla Sweets Village serves as a social and economic indicator. It appears that the meter is spinning in the right direction, signaling a positive transformation.
