Sri Lanka is a history as long as many ancient civilizations and being a multicultural society. Festivals are a part of Sri Lankan culture. They celebrate a wide variety of festivals, ceremonies and events.

• New Year Festival


Aluth Avurudda has become an important national holiday for both the cultures of the Sinhalese Buddhists and the Tamil Hindu Sri Lankans, and is unique as such, as it is not celebrated elsewhere in the world. The Sinhala New Year is marked by the entry of the Sun from the zodiacal sign of Pisces (the last sector) to Aries (the first sector) and is celebrated in April (usually on 13th or 14th of April) when the whole country assumes an aura of festivity.
This also coincides with the time when the harvest ends, so the colorful fruit from the trees is collected in bulk to fuel the week-long celebrations. The rituals begin with the cleaning of the house and lighting of an oil lamp, and women congregate to bash on the raban (drum) to warn others of the incipient change in the year. If you fail to hear this, a storm of firecrackers is bound to hammer the point home.

• Independence Day
Independence Day celebrations on the 4th of February every year commemorating the granting of independence from British rule take the form of a national festival with State participation. Celebrations are held throughout the Island on this day. The day is a national holiday in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony, dances, parades and performances.

• Vesak Festival


Vesak Festivel 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. 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 vesak, 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.

• Poson Festival


The Poson Festival commemorates the conversion of Sri Lanka to Buddhism in the 3rd century BC. Illuminations and processions take place all over the country, but the best place to see the festival is at Mihintale.
It was here in this ancient city that Sri Lanka's king was converted to Buddhism by Arahat Maha Mahinda, the son of King Asoka (Emperor of India). As the king was hunting deer, Mahinda appeared to him in a grove and asked him a riddle about a mango tree (Ambasthale means mango tree). After the king had answered the riddle, he apparently agreed to follow the teachings of the Buddha and declared it state religion.
The Ambasthale Dagoba is a temple which towers above the city of Mihintale, accessible by 1840 steps and built over the very spot where Mahinda is said to have appeared before the king.

• Esala Perahera / Kandy perahera


Esala Perahera (the festival of the tooth) is the grand festival of Esala held in Sri Lanka. It is very grand with elegant costumes. Happening in July or August in Kandy, it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival consisting of dances and nicely decorated elephants. There are fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandian dances and various other cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments. The festival ends with the traditional 'diya-kepeema'.
The Esala Perahera in Kandy is believed to be a fusion of two separate but interconnected "Peraheras". The Esala and Dalada. The Esala Perahera which is thought to date back to the 3rd century BC, was a ritual enacted to request the gods for rainfall. The Dalada Perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th Century AD.

• Thai Pongal Festival


The colorful Thai Pongal Festival celebrated by the Hindu devotees of Sri Lanka is celebrated on 14 of January
The houses are adorned in colourful kolam, intricate drawings done on the floors using flour. Special Pujas (prayer ceremonies) are held in Kovils to worship the Sun God. It is customary to cook the Pongal meal and share it with neighbors, especially non-hindus.

• Deepavali
This "festival of lights" is observed to welcome Lakshmi the Godess of wealth and fortune into Hindu homes which are gaily lit up with oil lamps and lights. It is held at the end of October or at the beginning of November. Oil lamps are lit to denote the triumph of good over evil as it signifies the Indian god king Rama's return from Sri Lanka. The festival also welcomes Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.

• Kataragama Devala Festival


Kataragama, a town in the south of the island attracts pilgrims from every part of the country. The temple 'Kataragama Devale' is a focal point for Buddhists and Hindus alike. Devotees make or fulfil pledges during this period, in return for various favours from Sri Skanda - the God of the Kataragama Devale. You will find pilgrims partaking in religious ceremonies as well as ritualistic torture practices which include rolling naked on scorching sand, walking barefoot over searing hot coals, flailing, piercing a spear through one cheek, or skewering their tongue.

• Christmas


Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday held on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birth date of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar,or one of various ancient winter festivals.[10][11] Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in most countries of the world, even in many whose populations are not majority Christian.

• Good Friday
Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover.

•Muslims Festivals


Muslims festivals are held without much public display. They join in prayer meetings to celebrate their religious events. The main Muslim festivals are the Milad-un-Nabi or the birth of the Prophet Mohamed in December, Id-ul-Fitr festival when the holy fasting during the month of Ramadan is ended and the Haj Festival when pilgrimages to the holy shrine at Mecca are undertaken.

• Eid ul Fitr
The tenth month of the Islamic calender is Shawwal. In respect of the significance and importance of Eid ul Fitr the following sayings should be remembered. Hazrat Abu Hurrair
a (Radi Allahu Anh) reported that the messenger of Allah Ta’ala, Hazrat Mohummed (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said, "when the eve of Eid ul Fitr comes, all the angels rejoice.

• Eid Milad un Nabi
Milad-un Nabi or Maulid (Mawlid) is the birthday celebration of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and is celebrated by Muslims as Eid-e Milad. Prophet Muhammad was born Arabia in the city of Mecca on the 12th day of Rabi-ul-Awwal, which was Monday the 20th day of April, 571 A.C. This falls on Saturday May 25, 2002 and fell on June 4th last year (2001). This is also his death anniversary. The occasion is celebrated by remembering the favors bestowed on the ummah (community), the first is the revelation of the Holy Quran with its instructions, the second, the institution of an Everliving Guide who would advise the mu'mins (believers) according to the needs of the time.

Thank you for sharing this interesting article. It just proves how rich Sri Lanka's culture is.