Ms. Niroshini Yoga
My family is from the village of Jaffna in Sri-Lanka. My father moved to the United States when I was born to make a better life for my family. My mother, sisters and I later moved to the United States seven years later. We celebrate Sri-Lankan new year in April and it is a very important time where we clean our homes, get new clothes and visit the temple. I am proud of all the traditions that we uphold and continue to celebrate even being far from home. Most recently, I got married and during the ceremony a tradition in the Hindu religion is when the groom presents the bride with a thaali (necklace). The significance of the thaali represents that the woman is married and two people coming together.
Our community takes care of each other as if they were all family. The Sri-Lankan community is a very close-knit one, not only in Sri-Lanka but also in Staten Island. There is a large Sri-Lankan population on Staten Island. The cross-streets of Cebra Ave. and Victory Blvd are often referred to as "Little Sri-Lanka'' where you can find shops, restaurants, etc.