Liquor outlets in several parts of Sri Lanka have been ordered to stay shut on Sunday in observance of the Deepavali festival, the Excise Department said.
All liquor outlets in the Northern Province and in the Nuwara Eliya District will remain closed throughout the day, NewsFirst reported.
Shops in the Badulla District are also covered by the order, with the exception of outlets in the Mahiyanganaya and Rideemaliyadda Divisional Secretariat divisions, which may trade as normal.
The closure is a partial, area-based restriction rather than a nationwide dry day. It tracks the districts with the largest Hindu and Tamil populations — the five northern districts, the central hill-country district of Nuwara Eliya and most of Badulla — where Deepavali is most widely observed. Sri Lanka applies full island-wide liquor bans on a separate list of dates, including Vesak, Poya days and May Day.
The order coincides with other Deepavali arrangements this week. A special school holiday was declared for Tamil-medium schools across several provinces, and the Sri Lanka Transport Board deployed more than 200 additional buses for the festival travel period.
Hindus across the island are marking the festival on Sunday by lighting oil lamps, drawing kolam designs and visiting temples.
