Festivals And Events

One of the most fascinating island countries of the world, Sri Lanka has a full year long calendar of religious and social events. Sri Lanka Festival & Events are held in different seasons but the most noticeable feature of these festivals is that nearly all major festivals take place or are celebrated on full moon days. Full Moon days are especially significant for this Buddhist country

Vesak Festival

Similar to Christmas for the Christians, celebrating the birth of Christ, Vesak for the Buddhists heralds the birth of Prince Siddhartha, who eventually attained Buddhahood as Gauthama Buddha. Vesak day is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar.

All over the country, temples, in the villages, and in the cities, announce the dawn of Vesak, with peals of bells, and drum beats. The devout, clad in pure white, with no make-up or jewelry, make their way to the temple, to spend the next twenty four hours in quiet contemplation.

No solid food in taken after mid-day meal, for this day, the holiest of days in the Buddhist calender, one is there to rid the mind of impure thoughts, and the body of impure habits. (Observe Sil). While the rest of the village, gather at the temple grounds after sunset to participate in lesser religious activities, like reading of holy books, or listen to the saffron clad monk relate ancient stories from Lord Buddha's previous lives.

Simple candle-lit lanterns like these, that seem to fascinate these youngsters, made with bamboo frames and covered with colored transparent paper adorn every house, for Wesak, is a muted celebration as well. Over two-and-a-half thousand years ago in northern India, Gautama was born, attained Enlightenment, and passed away, on the day of the month, separated by some 80 years and Buddhists all over the world celebrate the three events on Vesak day.

Kandy Esala Perahera (July/august)

Kandy Esala (July/august) Perahera is a spectacle not to be missed by any visitor to Sri Lanka. When you are an aspiring young Kandyan dancer, one of your dreams is to dance at the Kandy Perahara. These youngsters, dressed for the part in their finery, certainly seem eager and ready for it. Until recently classical Kandyan dancing has been an art that has been handed down from father to son.

This goes back to the days of the Caste system, where if you are born to the caste of the dancers, you invariably ended up being a dancer. But with the breakdown of the caste system, dancing has become more widespread and open to anybody who has the talent for i

Sinhalese and Tamil New Year (Avurudu)

Although Sri Lanka celebrates January 1st as a New Year from a western or international perspective the proper Sinhalese and Tamil New Year (avurudu), is celebrated about the 13th - 14th of April. This is a very special time in Sri Lanka. The larders are full since the harvest has just been collected, the trees are full of flowers, the homes are freshly painted and it is time for festivities.

The precise times when the old year ends, and the new year begins, (most times the two does not coincide) are calculated by astronomers, and is generally announced by the peal of temple bells. Everything during this time must be performed at precise times (nakatha), and in the prescribed way.

The lighting first fire in the hearth, start of work, first transaction, first application of oil to hair, first meal, to name a few. In between these rituals, the time is spent playing games, visiting friends and relatives, enjoying the many sweets that are made for the occasion, and generally having a great time.

Folk Festivals

Folk culture, festivals or ceremonies are not peculiar to Sri Lanka. Folk festivals or ceremonies have thrived in different parts of Sri Lanka from historic times.

A vast majority of the people of Sri Lanka are Buddhists. But throughout history, folk cults with beings of supernatural powers that influence day-to-day lives of the people have entered the main stream Buddhism.

There are elaborate rituals to pacify these evil spirits and to appease the benevolent. Although not encouraged by the Buddhist clergy, there is a large following of these rituals, specially in the southern part of the country. The commonest of them is the "devil dancing", which is a form of exorcism with quite a bit of theatrics thrown in for good measure.

The colorful and sometimes frightening masks worn by the performers, represent the good and evil spirits. These masks are all hand crafted by traditional craftesmen out of local soft woods and can be quite elaborate. The town of Ambalangoda in southern sri Lanka is famous for these masks.

Katharagama

Hinduism has been part and parcel of Sri Lankan life for many undereds of years. Over the years, popular Buddhism has absorbed a number of Hindu customs together with a galaxy of local gods. There is hardly any Sinhalese Buddhist who can deny of his or her reverence to one or two of Hindu gods or deities.

The awesome of these deities is the god Skandha or Katharagama whose shrine is in the deep south. Katharagama is a terrifying figure, and he exacts a heavy price from those whose petitions He grants.

Those who have been cured of grave illnesses, or whose prayers for children have been answered, must redeem their vows with an offering of pain. Sometimes they have to walk across burning coals, but the most common penitence is to be dragged around the streets swinging from a bar to which they are attached by savage iron hooks struck into the flesh of their backs.