13 and 14 April
For two days in April the whole country stops and plays.
Sinhala and Tamil new year is the only fixed point in the calendar of any of these games. The hearth is lit at an hour set by the almanac, the milk boils over, and then somebody unfolds a pancha board on the floor and doesn't get up until dark. Carrom comes out on the veranda. Olinda gets played by whoever is too small for either.
Orders placed before 20 March go out in time. After that we are honest with you about the date.