In March, not too long after we moved in, we invited my family to the house to check it out. To spice things up a bit, I asked my mom to do a Sri Lankan milk warming ceremony. Honestly, this is not something my family normally does - I think it tends to be more of a Singhalese tradition and my family is Tamil. I had seen it just once in Sri Lanka 20 years ago at my Uncle’s house. But you know, gotta have some entertainment at a party.
Sadly, I was scurrying around the house so I didn’t take any pictures except the two below. Some people in my family may have taken pictures but never shared them (you know who you are).
So what does it consist of? Basically you boil some milk with some sugar in a clay pot in the middle of the house and if it boils over, then it is auspicious! Then you give everyone a little taste for good measure. Sugary milk, mmmm.
Originally my mom wanted to boil the milk in a saucepan over the kitchen stove with the family crowded around it, which would have been awkward and probably brought bad luck upon our house! Luckily, my Uncle Anslem had a propane stove, so we could center the milk properly, and also a clay pot, a purchase from a recent trip to Sri Lanka. Phew! He also set up this oil lamp which adds an air of authenticity, I think. I believe it has some other importance as well but I am not sure what it is.
Doesn’t everyone look entralled? I think so. In the end, we didn’t let the milk boil over because that would have made a mess and who wants to clean that?! To make up for it, my mom doused the whole house (and many of us) in holy water. It hissed a bit when it hit my brother Angelo. Not sure what that was about…
My whole immediate family and some extended family were in townfor my niece Ava’s 3rd birthday so the timing worked out perfectly. For good measure (and because there are no other pics), here is a cute pic of us from that day.
