Stars and Horoscopes: Astrology in Sri Lanka

Astrology began as omen-reading in Mesopotamia and grew into horoscopes in the Greek world. Greek and Indian learning shaped Jyotisha, which Sri Lankan astrologers follow. Horoscopes, auspicious times (nakath) and marriage matching (porondam) are part of Sri Lankan family life. Avurudu, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, is timed by the Sun's move into Mesha. Careful scientific tests have not found that astrology predicts personality or events. It can still be enjoyed as culture, with big decisions kept in qualified hands. Looking Up Long before telescopes, people watched the sky every night. They saw the Moon change shape, the Sun rise in slightly different places through the year, and a few bright 'wandering stars' drift against the rest. This book tells the story of how those patterns became astrology, and how astrology became part of life in Sri Lanka. Two words, two meanings Astronomy is the science of stars, planets and space. Astrology is the belief that the Sun, Moon…