it is 'new year' time in this part of the world

It is 'new year' time in this part of the world. The traditional new year is celebrated in mid April every year.

The timing of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year coincides with the new year celebrations of many traditional calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The festival has close semblance to the Thai New year, Bengali New Year, and Sankranthi festival in India.

Sinhalese New Year @ Wikipedia
Tamil New Year @ Wikipedia