Sri Lankans in Cyprus celebrated their Buddhist new year on Sunday in the Nicosia municipal gardens.

The event, organised by the Sri Lanka Buddhist Association in Cyprus, began with a Buddhist ritual, followed by traditional dishes and a cultural programme with music and dancing.

Visitors were offered a plate of rice cooked in milk, hot sauce on the side and fried dumplings with vegetables. Traditional delicacies were sold at food stalls in the park.

The Sri Lankan new year coincides with the end of the rice harvesting season.

Rice, which can also be stored and preserved in pots made of clay and straw, is a major part of Buddhist gastronomic traditions for the new year, as followers abstain from meat.