CULTURE OF SRI LANKA

The culture of Sri Lanka has been influenced by many factors but hasmanaged to retain much of its ancient aspects. Mostly it has been influenced by its long historyand its Buddhist heritage. The country has a rich artistic tradition, embracing the fine arts, including music, dance, and visual arts. Sri Lankan lifestyle is reflected in cuisine, festivals, and sports. Sri Lankan culture is best known abroad for its cricket, food, holistic medicine, religious icons like the Buddhist flag, and cultural exports such as tea, cinnamon, and gems. Sri Lankan culture is diverse, as it varies from region to region. Sri Lanka boasts of a documented history of over 2000 years mainly due to ancient historic scriptures like Mahawansa. Several centuries of intermittent foreign influence have transformed Sri Lankan culture to the present outlook. Nevertheless, ancient traditions and festivals are celebrated by mostly conservative Sinhalese people of the island, together with other minorities that make up the Sri Lankan identity.

Festivals in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka may be a small island but there’s nothing it loves more than a big celebration. And with many different religions and ethnicities, it seems like Sri Lanka is always celebrating something. The majority of the population is Buddhist, with approximately 70 percent of the population following Buddhism, while there are also sizeable Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities. Many of the festivals revolve around the Buddhist calendar, each with a different significance to the locals.

Poya

Every month, on the full moon, Sri Lanka celebrates a public holiday. These are Buddhist celebrations and each one marks an important moment in Buddhism, either related to Sri Lankan Buddhism or the religion generally. Different celebrations take place all over the country depending on the Poya, but these are the big ones:

  • Vesak Poya
  • Poson Poya
  • Duruthu Poya

National Day

Celebrated on 4 February every year, Sri Lanka’s National Day celebrates the country’s independence from the British Empire. The whole country celebrates with performances and parades, as well as a speech from the president.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year

This celebration marks the beginning of the new Lunar year. As with most celebrations in Sri Lanka, the island is full of color, and the locals get together to share food, play games and take part in rituals of goodwill. One of the most entertaining games is "lissana gaha nageema", in which locals attempt to climb a greasy pole to claim the money or flag on top.

Maha Shivaratri Day

This Hindu festival is held in February or March, depending on the year, and marks the Great Night of Shiva – when Lord Shiva performed the heavenly dance of creation. It’s celebrated with all-night vigils, chanting, and the making of offerings to Shiva.

Food Culture in Sri Lanka

You can expect nothing less when it comes to food in Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka is a tropical island country facing India across the sea in the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka is a multicultural country.

Our country is filled with regional flavours while the cuisine is known for a rich combination of rice specialities, spices, herbs, seafood and fruits.

Dishes are centred around the main staple rice, Most Sri Lankans prefer vegetable curries while the main go-to meal in any part of the island is “Rice and Curry”.Sri Lankan food is regionally diverse, you can expect the same dish prepared in various methods and with different flavours. For example, the dishes from the South of Sri Lanka have a distinctive quality and are mainly amalgamated with seafood

Milk Rice

Rice and Curry

Coconut Sambol

Hoppers

Kottu Roti

Mun Kaum

Buddhist Flag

Buddhist flags flutter around temples and monuments throughout the world today. And banners and flags have always waved above important Buddhist monuments. Early texts describe pilgrims donating colorful banners at stūpas and monasteries. Yet, the six-striped flag we see today is a modern development.Generally speaking, flags are used to display a group’s excellent qualities and to express their individuality. But specifically, a flag’s utility is to express one’s identity, and to indicate victory and success. For the same purpose, the Buddhist flag was created with this intention. In 1884, the Buddhist flag was created in Sri Lanka by the American military officer, Mr Henry Steele Olcott, on Lord Śākyamuni’s birthday.

Gems of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s gem industry has a very long and colorful history. Sri Lanka was affectionately known as Ratna-Dweepa which means Gem Island. The name is a reflection of its natural wealth. Marco Polo wrote that the island had the best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems in the world. Ptolemy, the 2nd-century astronomer recorded that beryl and sapphire were the mainstays of Sri Lanka’s gem industry. Records from sailors that visited the island state that they brought back “jewels of Serendib”. Serendib was the ancient name given to the island by middle – eastern and Persian traders that crossed the Indian Ocean to trade gems from Sri Lanka to the East during the 4th and 5th centuries.

Ratnapura contains the most gem deposits and derived its name from the gem industry. Ratnapura means “city of gems”.