We're in a Social
We're in a Social
7th Sep. 2023
When visiting Sri Lanka, there are many festivals to experience and enjoy. Here are a few of the main events that provide a well-rounded cultural experience.
Known in the local language as “Aluth Aurudu”, the festival marks the end of the harvesting season. It usually takes place in mid-April, and the dates fall on either the 13th or 14th of the month. Throughout the first half of the month, the Sinhala and Tamil people prepare for festivities by cleaning and colour-washing houses, purchasing ingredients for sweetmeats (kavili) for the food table, and buying new clothes for family and friends in the lucky colours for the season.
On the festival day, milk is boiled on a hearth to welcome the new year, the table is set with milk rice (kiri bath), oil cakes (kavum), bananas, and a host of other traditional food. Members of the households will be dressed in traditional attire and once the rituals are complete, plates filled with goodies are exchanged among neighbours and relatives.
Moving on to the middle of the year, the month of May is yet another wonderful time of the year to visit Sri Lanka with Vesak festivities to witness. Vesak is a globally celebrated Buddhist festival that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Lord Buddha. Homes and streets are decorated with lights, lanterns, and massive pandols that depict the various stories of the rebirths of Lord Buddha. What’s more? There are often many dansal on the roads where free food like ice cream, kottu, fried rice, and other Sri Lankan favourites are offered for free!
Celebrated in the city of Kandy, the Esala Perahera takes place in the month of August on a full moon day. The Esala Perahera refers to a religious parade that travels across the streets of Kandy with colourful traditional dancers and elephants adorned in majestic attire. The dancers and all those taking part in the parade prepare for the festival by spending their time in prayer at the temple for a few weeks. On the day of the parade, the Sacred Tooth Relic is taken from its sanctuary and placed on the back of the main elephant in a ritualistic ceremony at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. The procession then begins from the temple towards the streets of Kandy where spectators are lined up on either side of the road to catch a glimpse of the elephants, traditional dancers, and stuntman walking on stilts and playing with balls of fire.
This is known as the Festival of Lights and signifies the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Devotees visit the Hindu Kovils dressed in traditional outfits and the ladies in particular will be in colourful kits with flowers in their hair. Homes and Kovils are decorated in lights and illuminated by the glow of oil lamps. Hindu households enjoy creating various Kolam designs, exchanging gifts with family and feasts for the celebration. Learn more about cultural festivals on So Sri Lanka.
