Bak Poya 2025
What this means for your trip
Alcohol ban. Leads into Sinhala & Tamil New Year weekend — intercity transport is extremely busy. Book tickets well in advance.
Why Poya dates are transcribed, not calculated
A Poya day is whichever calendar day the Government Gazette declares, and that is not a pure function of the full-moon instant. In 2026 the full moon of 3 January was gazetted as 3 January, while the full moon of 3 March was gazetted as 2 March. Any rule of the form “full moon date, minus one if it falls before a given hour” fits a single year and then quietly breaks. Every date on OneCeylon comes from the gazette and is cross-checked against a computed full moon to catch transcription errors.
Common questions
When is Bak Poya in 2025?
Bak Poya falls on Saturday 12 April 2025 in Sri Lanka. This date is taken from the Government Gazette.
What is closed on Bak Poya?
Alcohol ban. Leads into Sinhala & Tamil New Year weekend — intercity transport is extremely busy. Book tickets well in advance.