Sri Lankan Festivals that you should Experience

Sri Lankan Festivals that you should Experience

Sri Lanka never fails to fascinate its visitors with the most colourful and vibrant festivals. Not only that, each festival in Sri Lanka is of cultural and traditional importance and thus, offers its thousands of visitors a glimpse of the country’s culture and heritage. Sri Lanka, being the home of four main religions, celebrates festivals that equally showcase the culture and tradition of each religion. Significantly, the festival days are the times when all the Sri Lankans celebrate together in peace and harmony. Considered one of the best ways to experience the true Sri Lankan spirit, the following 12 festivals are some of the most appealing ones to experience.

1. Duruthu Perahera
2. Thai Pongal Festival
3. Independence Day
4. Maha Shivarathri Festival
5. Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival
6. Vesak Festival
7. Vel Festival
8. Dalada Perahera
9. Madhu Festival
10. Nallur Temple Festival
11. Deepavali Festival
12. Christmas

1. Duruthu Perahera

Duruthu Perahara
The first full moon Poya day falls in January (Duruthu) and this is the first Buddhist celebration of the year. The Duruthu Full Moon Poya day commemorates the first visit of Gautama Buddha to Sri Lanka. In remembrance of this special day, the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya – one of the most historic temples in Sri Lanka– holds a magnificent procession on the pre-full moon poya day in January. This is known as the “Duruthu Perahera”. It is noteworthy to mention that the Duruthu Perahera is one of the segments of the huge religious event that is performed by the temple. The Duruthu Festival is a religious event that is conducted for almost one month starting from December. This whole festival marks its end with this vibrant Duruthu Perahera which is held consecutively for three nights. Despite all odds, thousands of people from all around the country visit the temple during these days to witness this breathtaking celebration. Nonetheless, Duruthu Perahera has always been one of the favourites among foreigners for its uniqueness and vibrancy. The procession itself is of importance as it showcases the tradition and culture of Buddhists. The traditional folk dances, folk music, and the spectacular rhythmic performances of the acrobats, drummers, and torchbearers are mesmerizing. Not only that, the calmness and dedication of the magnificent bejewelled elephants will surely take your breath away.

2. Thai Pongal Festival

Thai Pongal which is also recognized as the harvest festival is observed to honour the Sun God, Rain God, Mother Nature, and all the other natural elements including cattle and buffalos for providing people with a good harvest. It is the first Hindu festival that is celebrated by all the Hindus and non-Hindus all around the world. Mostly, Thai Pongal falls in the second week of January. In Sri Lanka, this is a festival that is held for two days and this is a time where the poor, the rich, the villagers, and city people pay their homage to the gods for whatever they have been provided with. The popular Pongal rice is prepared during this festival season. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil community prepare this sweet Pongal rice for God on the second day of Thai Pongal. Fortunately, during this time, most of the Kovils offer this delicious Pongal rice to all the devotees who visit the Kovil. Nevertheless, during the dawn of Thai Pongal, the women get dressed up well and start to draw Kolam/Rangoli in front of their homes. The devotees believe that these colourful patterns bring good luck to their houses.

3. Independence Day

Independence Day in Sri Lanka is one of the most important days for Sri Lankans all around the world. The day commemorates the attempts and sacrifices made by our ancestors to win our land over from the colonial powers. Thus, it is a day that is celebrated with much pride and awe. This day is celebrated in different levels at all houses, schools and working places. However, the main celebration is held in Colombo with the presence of the Honourable President, the military leaders, and other distinguished guests. Since 1948, the Sri Lankan Independence Day is celebrated annually on the 4th of February. The agenda of the celebration comprises of events such as hoisting the national flag, singing the national anthem, president’s speech reiterating the country’s achievements, and these are followed by an extravagant military parade and a series of festive dances and performances. It is surely an eye-catching experience to all the locals and tourists. Significantly, the government takes measures to provide a live telecast of this special occasion to every Sri Lankan via television channels and YouTube.

4. Maha Shivarathri Festival

The festival that is celebrated as a reverence to Lord Shiva is the “Maha Shivarathri Festival” and this significant day usually comes in March. God Shiva is one of the main deities of Hinduism, and Hindus believe that Lord Shiva is the master of fertility, poison, and medicine. Above all, it is believed that Lord Shiva is the supreme one who creates and protects the entire universe. Unlike other festivals, Maha Shivarathri is observed at night as the festival itself emphasizes the motive of overcoming ignorance and evilness in life. On this day, the Hindus undertake a fast and engage themselves in various cultural activities while offering prayers to God Shiva. To mark the remembrance of this auspicious day, the devotees have an early morning bath and visit a Shiva temple. Here, they offer their prayers and engage in the prominent religious act of bathing the Shiva lingum with milk, honey, and water. Most importantly, anyone who is willing to participate in this ritual is welcomed to participate in this religious act. It is indeed a wonderful opportunity to get a first-hand experience in performing Hindu rituals.

5. Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is one of the biggest days celebrated by both Buddhists and Hindus. This day is popular as “Aluth Aurudda” in Sinhala and “Puththandu” in Tamil. The transition of the Sun from the zodiac sign of Pisces to the zodiac sign Aries marks the dawn of the New Year and this always falls in April. The day is celebrated by Buddhists and Tamils through various rituals and customs. Significantly, this is a day that offers the Sri Lankans an opportunity to pay gratitude to one another and enjoy as one family. The list of rituals and customs that should be performed during this day is what makes it extra special. The most enjoyable part of this entire celebrative day is that people get together and organize New Year festivals all around the country. This festival is filled with numerous sporty events that are mostly specific to the New Year season and they are commonly known as “Aurudu Kridaa”. Kotta pora (pillow fight), kamba aedeema (Tug-o-War), Kanaamutti bindeema (Breaking the pots) are some of the many games evident in these festivals. Despite any age limit, religion, caste, status, or nationality everybody participates in this enjoyable festival. Nonetheless, this is the season of the year when a lot of Sri Lankans who reside in foreign countries visit Sri Lanka to celebrate this enjoyable day with their beloved ones.

6. Vesak Festival

The Vesak festival that falls in May is of importance to all Buddhists. The Full Moon Poya day that falls in May is known as Vesak, and this day celebrates the commemoration of the three most important events that had taken place in the life of Lord Buddha – Birth of Prince Siddhartha, attainment of Prince Siddhartha as Lord Buddha, and Enlightenment. Usually, the day prior to Vesak is a public holiday and during these two days, various religious activities such as Sil campaigns, Bakthi Gee campaigns (religious Vesak songs), and Boodhi Poojas are held all around the country. The events that mostly capture the eye of both locals and tourists are the Dansal campaigns and the exhibition of pandals/thoran and Vesak lanterns. Dansal campaigns are organized by people to deliver free food, drinks or sweets to the public. On the one hand, groups of people get together and make massive pandals/thoran for public display. Nonetheless, constructing pandals is a long process done with much dedication and respect. The significance of these pandals lies in their illustration of a particular religious event in the history of Buddhism. On the other hand, some people organize Vesak lantern exhibitions and customarily, these are set up as competitions. Thus, in Sri Lanka, it is an annual custom to hold an extravagant Vesak lantern competition in Colombo that is open to public display.

7. Vel Festival

Another Hindu festival that is of significance is the Vel festival that falls in July or August. This day celebrates the power and divinity of the Hindu war God Skanda, who is famously known by the name Lord Murugan. It is a must to say that the rituals and customs of this festival are breathtaking and extraordinary. This particular festival is celebrated all around the country at different levels. However, the main Vel festival is performed in Kataragama. Chariot parades, tingling of bells, Kavadi dancing (a unique form of dance done by Hindus), and traditional singings are some of the customarily performed rituals in the Vel procession. The highlight of this festival is the vibrant chariot procession that carries a statue. Nonetheless, the Vel procession comprises hundreds of devotees and among them, there are ones who participate by piercing their face or body. Understandably, it is not a comfortable sight to watch but actually, the ritual itself emphasizes the utter devotion of people to their religion. It is possible to say that the importance of Vel procession is similar to the Dalada Perahera in Sri Lanka.

8. Dalada Perahera

Perahara In Sri Lanka
The Temple of the Tooth Relic or the “Dalada Maligawa” is in possession of the Sacred Tooth Relic and is worshipped by all the Buddhists in Sri Lanka. In devotion to this sacred relic, numerous rituals and customs are observed throughout the year, and thus, the “Dalada Perahera” or the “Esala Maha Perahera” is one of the most anticipated rituals conducted by the temple. Usually, this religious procession is held in July. The whole ceremony consists of a variety of festivals and the Dalada Perahera is an event that is conducted for ten days. In contrast to the Duruthu Perahera, this ceremony is abundant with many dancers, singers, musicians, acrobats, bejewelled elephants, and magnificent tuskers. Its vibrancy and its uniqueness compel both the locals and tourists to have a live experience of this procession. Moreover, unlike other Buddhist processions, Dalada Perahera is said to be the oldest Buddhist ritual that has been continued to date due to its glamour and charisma. Nevertheless, this festive celebration is a time where hundreds of street vendors arrange their portable stalls to entertain the visitors with delicious street foods, eye-catching ornaments and memorable souvenirs. Evidently, it is the kids who take the maximum benefit from these stalls which are also known as “Perahera Pola”.

9. Madhu Festival

As we all know, the Christian feast day of the Assumption of Mary is celebrated on the 15th of August. Hence, in Sri Lanka, this is a day where a massive festival is hosted at churches to celebrate this special religious event. A long story short, it is believed that this is the day when the Virgin Mary was assumed by God to heaven after her death. To celebrate this day, hundreds of Catholic devotees visit the nearby churches and recite the rosemary, and sing hymns together. However, the main event is hosted at the Madhu Church in Manner. In this ceremony, the shrine of the Virgin Mary is carried around the church premises while the devotees pay their homage to this shrine. It is a ten-day festival and there are devotees who travel a long distance to participate in this celebration in Mannar. It is a common sight to see locals from all around the country and tourists utilizing the boarding facilities arranged by the Madhu Church. Significantly, this festival is an exceptional opportunity for anybody to witness the customs and traditions of the Catholic community.

10. Nallur Temple Festival

Nallur
One of the longest religious festivals in Sri Lanka is the Nallur Temple festival. It is almost a twenty-five days long festival that is hosted to pay homage to Lord Murugan, Goddess Valli, and Goddess Deivanai (three gods in Hinduism), and this magnificent festival is conducted by the Nallur Kovil in Jaffna. Usually, this festival falls in August or in September depending on the Tamil auspicious calendar. In addition, the Nallur Kovil itself is a unique religious place when compared to other kovils. Its uniqueness lies in its tradition of prohibiting the males above 3 years to cover above their waist while allowing fully-covered women to the premises. Thus, without all odds, everybody should equally follow this tradition and that is also an aspect which accentuates the devotion of people who visit this Kovil. The festival comprises several rituals and events that are completed during these twenty-five days. The spectacular event of this festival is the transportation of the statue of Lord Murugan around the Kovil area. It is transported in beautifully decorated revered vehicles usually in the form of animals and birds, and this stunning chariot is accompanied by singers and dancers. It is a must to say that the music played during this procession will never resist you from dancing. These unique celebrations, therefore, will never disappoint any local or tourist.

11. Deepavali Festival

Deepavali or Diwali festival of the Hindu community is one of the biggest holy celebrations in Sri Lanka that is annually celebrated in October. This day is celebrated to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, happiness over sadness, hope over despair, and knowledge over ignorance. Deepavali is usually a five-day celebration and during these days the devotees engage themselves in observing various rituals and customs. One of the most vibrant rituals is the lighting of many oil lamps and candles in houses and along the streets and thus, Deepavali is also known as the “Festival of Lights”. For this festival, the Hindu people buy new colourful clothes and gifts for their loved ones. Moreover, Hindus take steps to renew and decorate their houses. Nonetheless, fireworks are a very common sight during Deepavali. It is a time of renewal and rejoicing. This time of the year is one of the best opportunities for any local and tourist to experience the vibrant lights of Deepavali.

12. Christmas

One of the festivals equally celebrated by all Sri Lankans is Christmas. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ and this most anticipated festival falls on the 25th of December but however, Sri Lankans all around the country prepare themselves way before Christmas. Commonly, Christians celebrate Christmas by initially visiting the church at midnight on the 24th of December, and performing all the rituals there. And then, it is all about enjoying yourself with your loved ones by having delicious feasts, singing jingles, and exchanging gifts. It is the time of the year when houses, offices, and shopping malls are decorated with dazzling and colourful lights. It is a must to mention that Colombo is the perfect city to visit during this festive season. Large Christmas trees with breath-taking decorations are a very common sight in Colombo. Nonetheless, it is the perfect time to go shopping as almost every supermarket offers seasonal offers for Christmas. Moreover, the government in Sri Lanka gives their sponsorship to hold carnivals and other festivities during this time of the season. Christmas is all about love, compassion, happiness, togetherness, and enjoyment. Obviously, one must surely experience how Sri Lankans celebrate Christmas as it is filled with love and peace.

To sum up, Sri Lanka is a country with not less than twenty-five public holidays. There is always a reason to celebrate each month. Anybody who visits Sri Lanka during any time of the year is able to witness a memorable festival that showcases the true essence of Sri Lanka. Thus, everybody gets an opportunity to be a part of the country’s traditions and culture. Last but not the least, Sri Lanka is indeed a land filled with celebrations and this country will never disappoint you.