Sri lanka

With a population composed with many a races and religions, Sri Lanka is never short of festivals and celebrations. Every month brings a celebration either religious or cultural importance, making Sri Lanka one of the countries with highest number of celebrations and holidays.

The May full moon poya day or Vesak is the most important religious celebration in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists celebrate the nativity, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha with many celebrations. Sri Lankans of every religion crowd the roads to enjoy Vesak decorations including pandals and lanterns and many a makeshift eating houses that line the roads offering every food item from beverages, dessert to main meals free.

The Sinhala-Tamil New year festival in April is the most important cultural festival in the country. It is the traditional New Year celebrations between 12 and 14 of April. It is a harvest thanksgiving and is celebrated by the Sinhalese and Tamils in traditional style. This season is usually holidays for school children and the whole country in a festive mood. It is the time for friendship and traditions are observed according to astrological times. New cloths are worn traditional milk rice with sweets are prepared in every household. People are engaged in traditional games such as pillow fighting, breaking a pot blindfolded climbing a greased polls, and the girls fill the air with singing and playing traditional instruments dressed in their new costumes. The festival marks the beginning of the New Year and the end of harvesting season. A lengthy holiday and a table full of oily traditional delicacies like kokis, makes the New Year festival one of the long awaited festivals in the country.

Vesak the most colourful celebrations of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival commemoration the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha is held on the full moon day in May. Buddhist devotees are in white clad walk to the temples to observe sila and the whole day is spend on meditating, reading religious texts and listing to religious sermons. Vesak is a joyous occasion, many decorations are intricate Vesak paper lanterns of different colours and shapes and Vesak pandals are erected and people are crowded in the streets.

The Kandy Esala Perahera or the Dalada Perahera is the largest cultural parade in the world and showcases the best of Sri Lankan dancing and music and the best of the domesticated tuskers in the country. The possessions taken place in ten consecutive nights elephants are adorned with elegant costumes parading in the streets. This is once in the year celebration to allow pilgrims to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth relic carried by the Diyawadana Nilame selected to be the trustee of the temple. The event is made in colourful and vivid with many dancers and instruments players parading in the streets in the night.

In August is the Esala festival at Kataragama. The Kataragama Esala Festival is a multi-religious festival where devotes use fire walking and extreme self-penance to shows their piety to Lord Kataragama.

Gangaramaya Navam Perahera attracts visitors to the Capital during this period can experience the perahera and witness the colorfully dressed elephants and musicians and dancers parading in the streets of Colombo.

The Colourful Thai Pongal celebrated by the Hindu Devotees of Sri Lanka is celebrated on 14th of January every year. Houses are decorated in colourful Kolam, intricate drawings on the floor using flour, special prayer ceremonies are conducted in Hindu Kovils. It is the tradition that the pongal meal is prepared and share it with neighbours.

Maha Sivarathri day is a significant festival falls in February or beginning in March. Prayer ceremonies are conducted throughout the country all night.

Easter is celebrated by Catholics of Sri Lanka mainly in coastal areas such as Negombo. The fructification of Christ is acted in stage dramas.

Deepavali is the beginning of financial year for the Hind business people and goddess of Wealth is welcomed to homes and homes are decorated with Kolam and lit with lamps.

Christmas celebrations are the last celebration festival in the year preparing for Christmas and upcoming new year. Christmas is mainly glamorous where the birth of Christ is celebrated with crackers lit and mid night mass family, gatherings and joyous share with the poor.

Christmas celebrations are the last celebration festival in the year preparing for Christmas and upcoming new year. Christmas is mainly glamorous where the birth of Christ is celebrated with crackers lit and mid night mass family, gatherings and joyous share with the poor.