Best festivals in Sri Lanka – Every festival is a time for celebration in this paradise isle!

This magnificently colourful pageant, also known as the Festival of the Tooth is held during July and August each year in the beautiful city of Kandy in Central Sri Lanka. The majestic perahera is held every year to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha, which is sacredly ensconced in an inner chamber of the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. Scores of people from Sri Lanka and all the world line the streets or watch from viewing platforms at their boutique hotels in Sri Lanka spellbound at the sheer talent, skills and veneration of the artists performing various cultural items, and the majestic elephants as they parade the streets in grandeur and style.

April is a month eagerly looked forward to by Sinhala and Tamil ethnicities however, others love this period too as the entire country prepares for the New Year at the end of the harvest season. The call of Asian Koel (Koha) heralds the New Year. Homes are spring cleaned, at the auspicious time the family members wear new clothes and sit around a table laden with traditional 'Milk rice' or Kiri Bath a milky concoction made with rice and coconut milk cut into diamond shapes, sweetmeats, plantains and enjoy the dawn of a New Year with new hope and aspirations. Another feature of this special festival is 'Ganu Denu' or exchanging of those special preparations with your neighbours which encompasses non-Sinhala and Tamils in the festivities making it almost a national festival. Many hotels such as Boutique Collection by Amaya provide a special New Year Spread for their guests.

lso known as 'Deepavali', this annual festival takes place in mid-October or mid-November and is celebrated by Hindus. In preparation for this festival of lights, many shopping fiestas take place to enable shoppers to buy things for their homes, clothing and gift items. Homes are cleaned and decorated; new clothing is worn. Colourful designs of Kolam or Rangoli are made on the floor or ground depicting folk art, supposedly to mark sacred areas of welcome for Hindu deities. Lamps or candles will be lit indoors as well as outdoors giving an air of festivity. The highlight is a pooja or offering to Goddess Lakshmi for blessings of prosperity and wealth, and the whole family partaking of a meal with traditional sweetmeats. The exchange of gifts with family, relatives and friends is an exciting part of Diwali.

One of the holiest festivals for Buddhists, Vesak Day marks the triple commemoration of Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinibbana. Falling on the full moon day in May. Buddhist devotees start preparing early for this religious festival with many devotional activities such Poojas, Observing Sil, offering alms to priests. Complementing these are the creation of Pandols, (pictorial depicting of Buddha's life with colourful illuminations) Vesak Lanterns in varying shapes, sizes and colours being lit up on trees at homes or exterior walls as well as being lit up along the roads pulling crowds of people to admire the creations and partake food from Dansal (places set up all over the country by Buddhists offering food and drink free of charge). An air of festivity permeates all around the island during Vesak Festival.

An annual festival during mid-January, Thai Pongal is celebrated by Hindus. Also called the Harvest Festival, this festival honours the Sun God, 'Surya', as well as cattle, both of which are of paramount importance for a good harvest. Hindu families mark this festival by adorning their homes with banana leaves and colourful patterns of kolam made out of rice flour. The family enjoys a tasty preparation of milk rice flavoured with nuts, raisins and mixed spices. They also make sure to show their gratitude to the cattle by bathing them and giving them beautiful garlands. A lovely sight to witness.