COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted amnesty to nearly 800 convicts to mark the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year on Saturday, his office said.

The amnesty of 779 inmates followed the release of 1,000 prisoners to mark Christmas.

A prison official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a recent spate of amnesties had eased congestion in the South Asian island-nation's still-overcrowded jails.

As of Friday, there were fewer than 30,000 inmates in Sri Lankan prisons, which were designed to hold only about 11,000 people.

Sri Lanka has declared a long holiday for the New Year and banned alcohol sales until Tuesday.

This year's celebrations were marred by conflicting timetables announced by an official panel of astrologers assigned to decide on a schedule for traditional ceremonies.

The government has asked citizens to follow the decision of 42 astrologers, who said the public should light a stove and make their first meals of the year just after midnight.

The dissenters, however, say it should be done on Sunday morning at a "godly hour," warning that if their timetable warning was not followed, a great misfortune would befall the country, which is emerging from an unprecedented economic crisis.

Astrologers are hugely influential figures consulted by both the island's Buddhist and Hindu communities, and their verdicts on auspicious dates guide everything from marriages and business deals to national election timetables.

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa called a snap election in January 2015 based on a date advised by his personal astrologer, but went on to lose the polls.

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