Joanna James
If you are a traveller who is enthusiastic about learning about the various cultures of countries you travel to, Sri Lanka offers a horizon like no other with its multicultural society and history. Here are a few festivals that have the local culture on display.
This festival unlike Chinese New Year falls in April and is an island-wide celebration. The proper dates are decided by monitoring the planetary changes according to the astrological calendar and falls on two days. One is the ending of the old year and the other is the beginning of the new year. The locals prepare for these two days by cleaning and colour washing their homes, preparing sweetmeats to go on the "avurudu table" as they call it and buying new clothes in the lucky colours to wear once the new year dawns. The best way to experience this cultural event is to perhaps opt for a homestay if you can get a hold of one. Other than this, the entire country is mostly closed as people take off to their hometowns to spend time with family and friends.
This is a festival that takes place in the northernmost part of Sri Lanka between August and September. For 25 days devotees prepare for the festival getting their attire and floats ready for the procession to come. The men usually wear a colourful shirt with a white sarong while the women are dressed in their grandest clothing in vibrant colours and wear sweet-smelling flowers in their hair. The temple is much like a sea of colour on the last few days. On the 24th day of the festival, the Ther festivities take place where floats and glistening thrones are taken around the streets in a grand procession, the atmosphere is full of excitement as well. On the following day, a few Hindu devotees will pay their vows while piecing themselves with skewers on various parts of the body and going to the temple in a procession.
Coming down to the central district of the country, the Kandy Perahera is internationally famous and many tourists time their visit to Kandy to experience the grand festivities that take place between July and August. The main traditions begin around 7 pm when the main elephant leaves the temple with the Sacred Tooth Relic on it's back. It is a procession of colour with traditional dances, adult and baby elephants clad in rich costumes and fire dancers lighting the way. When it comes to things to do in Kandy, this is definitely not to be missed! But remember to book your hotel early as properties like Earl's Regency tend to get fully booked for this period.
Going right down to the southern part of Sri Lanka, the Kataragama festival coincides with the Kandy Perahera and is as bright and exciting as you can imagine. But the majority who celebrate this festival are the Hindus in the area. People from other ethnic communities like Muslims, Buddhists and Veddhas (indigenous people of Sri Lanka) come to take part and witness the vibrant celebrations. This too is a procession that starts and ends at the Kovil, the Hindu's place of worship.
This is one of the main festivals in May and is celebrated island-wide, but Colombo has its celebrations on a grand scale. It is the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha. The city is a mass of lights and lanterns made of thin paper. You'll find huge structures which tell various stories of Lord Buddha's life.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
