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Sri Lanka Society & Culture : Customs, Rituals & Traditions

Sri Lankan Music, Theatre and Dancing

• Classical Dances of Sri Lanka( The origin of Sri Lankan dances goes back to immemorial times of aboriginal tribes and "yakkas" (devils). According to a Sinhalese legend, Kandyan dances originate, 2500 years ago, from a magic ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king.) 
• Dance and music of the Sinhalese( Our historical record, the ‘Mahavamsa’, tells us that the Aryan Prince Vijaya heard music on the day he landed on the shores of Lanka.According to Pali scriptures the ‘Yakkas’ (one of the tribes inhabiting the Island at the time) were fond of songs and dances.It may be that some of the devil dances that have remained with us to the present day owe their origin to the ‘Yakka’ dances.) 
• Drums of Sri Lanka( Sri Lanka has been having many types of drums in use from ancient times, and reference to these are found in some of the classical literature e.g. Pujawaliya, Thupawansaya, Dalada Siritha etc. Although there had been about 33 types of drums, today we find only about ten and the rest are confined only to names.) 
•  Devil Dance Masks of Sri Lanka ( The yakun natima, or devil dance ritual of Sri Lanka, is nothing if not full of drama. Not just a charade or interval designed to entertain, the yakun natima is a carefully crafted ritual with a history reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past. )
• Kolam, Sokari & Nadagam: Folk drama of Sri lanka (There were numerous forms of folk drama some of which were confined to certain areas in the country. For example, Kolam, which is a very popular form of folk drama in the coastal areas is unknown in the hill country. Sokari, on the other hand is a type of folk drama, which is limited to the up country. The Nadagama is a form of folk opera, which has been popular in the villages along the western coast from Chilaw right down to Tangalle in the deep south. These have been generally performed throughout the night.)
• Did Sinhala drama originate in Christmas? (The earliest form of Sinhala drama we could speak of today is Nadagam. There is evidence that nadagam have originated in Christmas.)

Sri Lankan Weddings: Customs & Traditions

• Traditional Sinhalese Marriage Laws and Customs (When a low-caste man meets one of 'a high caste or approaches his house, he should make a bow and salutation in the manner already described. He who is saluted in this way should acknowledge it simultaneously, with a very slight salutation of the same kind. )
• A white sheet and a copper coin: Impressions of a wedding in the 16th Century (The coin meant the girl had proven her virginity. She would be accepted into the family as the wife of their youngest son. )
• Pavuru Valalu (Walls Within) ( Review of The Sinhala film Pavuru Valalu: Life is not the problem, but the conditions under which it is offered )
• Sri Lankan Marriage Laws (In Sri Lanka, several legal systems govern the law of family relations. The General law (a combination of Roman Dutch and English law) is the main system applicable to every one except if they are governed by the personal laws. There are three other parallel systems of personal laws in Sri Lanka, i.e., Kandyan Law, The Thesavalamai and the Muslim Law. These laws are grounded in ancient customary practices and/or religion. )
• Sri Lankan Wedding Portal - Manaali.com (Learn more about  Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Church Weddings in Sri Lanka)

Kandyan Customs & Traditions

• The social etiquette of the Kandyans (According to an early English compilation of Kandyan law, namely John Armour"s "Grammar of Kandyan Law" (early 19th century), the consent of both parents is necessary for a valid marriage. )
• A Kandyan wedding in highlife in the 19th century (The account describes the marriage of Mr. Wilfred Ratwatte of far-off Matale up in the hills and of Miss Dullewa that had taken place on January 10th, 1890.)
• Kandiyan Bridel Jewellery (The Kandyan bride in her traditional costume of the Osariya (sari) and the complementing regalia looks like a queen and, she is certainly the cynosure of all during the wedding ceremony.)
• Kandyan Marriage Laws (In Sri Lanka, several legal systems govern the law of family relations. The General law (a combination of Roman Dutch and English law) is the main system applicable to every one except if they are governed by the personal laws. There are three other parallel systems of personal laws in Sri Lanka, i.e., Kandyan Law, The Thesavalamai and the Muslim Law. These laws are grounded in ancient customary practices and/or religion. )

Ancient Lankan Customs & Rituals

• Rituals and customs enriched ancient Lanka ( Customs and rituals have been part and parcel of the Lankan society from ancient times. They have been handed down from generation to generation spanning over the 2,500 year old history of the country. Most of these customs and rituals are connected with the day to day lives of the people in the social and religious spheres. )
• 'Eka-ge-kema' :  Fraternal polyandry among the olden-day Sinhalese ( The Sinhalese custom of fraternal polyandry where a wife would be shared in common by several brothers has long fascinated those interested in local society and culture. The practice euphemistically referred to as 'eka-ge-kema' or 'eating in one house' is no longer legal, though it is possible that it may still be surviving in some remote areas.)
• Olden day Sinhalese sports and games ( In ancient times, chivalric art (sippa) such as archery (danu-sippa) and riding on horse-back or on elephants (hatth-assa-sippa) were commonly practised by princes and scions of noble families. Wrestling was a highly developed art in the country. )
• Ankeli Puja and the Pattini Cult (The sport that Robert Knox writes about is the offering of ankeli puja to the Goddess Pattini. Ankeli puja in the villages in the hill country was almost an annual event some decades ago.)
• Dress & Ornamentation of ancient Sri Lankans( The royal ornaments are traditionally described in 13th century literary sources as being sixty-four in number. )
• Sinhalese birth rituals of yore ( The olden day Sinhalese women as of now craved for certain foods when expecting and this was known as dola-duka. Women deprived of satisfying their dola-duka cravings were said to become weak and emaciated, so that it was very important that such desires were satisfied..)

• Ancient food and drinks of Sri Lanka (As we have already seen, rice occupied a very special place in traditional Sinhalese society. It was a community based on rice. Everyone from the king downwards had an interest in agriculture.)

• Ancient farming rituals of Sri Lanka ( With the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the third century B.C. a centralized government was introduced with the king as the supreme supporter of Buddhism, these rituals too underwent a complete change in its conception.)
• Wedding rituals in the 16th Century ( Lunch, called the "adara batha" (the meal of love), lasted for over three hours. The bride and the groom seated at the head of the table ate from the same plate. When he thought no one was looking, he pushed pieces of fish towards her. She took them timidly, but picked at her food.)
• Traditional & indigenous music Drums in Sri Lanka ( The low-country beraya (drum), is cylindrical in shape and is similar to the Kandyan drum, but is of a uniform width along the cylinder. This drum is used at many religious festivals, and also in all low-country dance and music. It is also called the Ruhunu beraya, Dik beraya or Yak beraya. The Davula from the Sabaragamuwa region is also cylindrical and similar to the low-country beraya, except that it is shorter in length.)
• Kohomba Kankariya - Fighting the devil ( According to legend, the origin of this ritual dates back even to King Panduvasudeva's era in which it was born.)
• Sri Lankan Amulets and charms (People believe that by wearing of amulets and charms one can keep away misfortune. Magic and superstition were the products of the ages of ignorance. The Veddhas of this country are famous for incantations to avoid harm which they believe are caused by the dead. Charms and invocations are done by Kattandiyas..)

Buddhist Ceremonies & Rituals

• The Significance of Poya Days ( Even before the birth of Buddhism, Asian ascetics in the ancient times when there were no calendars, made it a practice on full moon days to cease worldly pursuits and engage themselves in religious activities. )
• The Poya Days ( A practising Buddhist observes the poya day by visiting a temple for the rituals of worship and, often, by undertaking the Eight Precepts )
• The Bodhi-Puja ( The veneration of the Bodhi-tree (pipal tree: ficus religiosa) has been a popular and a widespread ritual in Sri Lanka. The ritualistic worship of trees as abodes of tree deities (rukkha-devata) was widely prevalent in ancient India )
• Bodi Puja: Religious beliefs and practices in relation to the Bo-tree  ( Lord Buddha is the only religious teacher who said that people of other faiths who lead meritorious lives would be reborn in in low spiritual plans or higher spiritual plains depending on the merit gained by them. These beings of low spiritual planes often take refuge in Bo Trees. When people offer Bodi Pujas to such Bo Trees they at the end offer merit to beings in the Bo Trees. These beings accept the merit offered to them and gets elevated in the spiritual world. It may be that some of them are capable of granting relief to persons in distress who offer Bodi Pujas to the Bo Tree seeking relief.)
• The Pirit Ceremony ( Pirit-chanting is a very popular ceremony among the Buddhists of Sri Lanka. As the term itself implies it means a safety rune (paritta = protection), the ceremonial recital of which is regarded as capable of warding off all forms of evil and danger (vipatti) )

• Katina ceremony : one of the main festivals in the Buddhist calendar (The Katina ceremony was the culmination of the Vas season. At the end of three months a special robe known as the Katina was offered to monks of every monastery which observed the Vas)Sanghika-dana (Almsgiving) & Mataka-vastra-puja (Funerals) ( Sanghika-dana, meaning "the alms given to the community of monks." Such a daana is often preceded by an all-night pirit ceremony. Mataka-vastra-puja is "offering of cloth on behalf of the dead" prior to the cremation or the burial of the body )

• Monastic Ceremonies: Vassa and Kattina ( The Vassa, a three-month rains retreat, was instituted by the Buddha himself and was made obligatory for all fully ordained bhikkhus )
• Bali & Thovil Ceremonies ( Bali is the ceremony wherein the presiding deities of the planets (graha) are invoked and placated in order to ward off their evil influences. Thovil or "devil-dancing" is another ritualistic healing ceremony. )
• The Gods, Devalayas & Deva Worship ( This the worship of deities. In Sri Lanka there are four deities regarded as the guardians of the Buddha-sasana in the island: Vishnu, Saman, Kataragama, and Vibhishana. )
• RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS IN PRE-BUDDHIST SRI LANKA  ( Prior to the advent of Buddhism, there was evidently no national or state religion systematically organised in the Island of Sri Lanka. In the words of Xuan Zang (Hsuan-tsang) "The Kingdom of Sinhala was addicted to immoral religious worship.)

Village life: Ceremonies & Rituals

• Village Life: Living in harmony with few wants (Just as folk tales taught simple lessons, the rural folk were simple people leading an uncomplicated life. They had few wants. Theirs was not a complicated life. Most of them were paddy cultivators. They needed water for the paddy fields when the plants start growing. Normally a village would have a small tank from which they got water.)

• Life in the Village: On the Origins of Lanka (Some 2,500 years ago, Lanka was composed of 24,000 villages. Even today most of it is rural. Although various doctrines have found their way to the island over the centuries, Lanka's living traditions overpowered them all. As in the beginning, even today we still worship trees, hills, rocks, springs and elephants. Traditional villagers zealously protect these ancient forms.)

• Working in the paddy field (There are several stages in the preparation of the paddy field. The first stage is to clear the field by removing the weeds, which grow when the field is allowed to rest after harvesting.)

• Harvesting time in the village (Harvesting of paddy becomes a major event in the village taking the form of a celebration. A good harvest is always welcomed by the villagers who will then be assured of the staple diet till the next harvest.)

• The 'gamarala' - fascinating character in the village (The folk tales revolving round the 'gamarala' are the most popular. They are fascinating stories related to the life of the 'gamarala', the village chieftain.)

• The Village and the Temple (Just as much as the paddy field and the tank were of vital importance to the peasants, so was the temple. All the villagers being Buddhists, every village had a temple.)

• Customs and rituals associated with cultivation in Rajarata (THE prosperity of a village depends on the availability of water for cultivation. This is especially so in Rajarata where paddy cultivation is the livelihood of the people.)

• Gam Maduwa (Gam maduwa is a village affair. It is of special interest to the farmers, for whom a 'gam maduwa' would bring in blessings of the gods for success in their agricultural activities. Others too believe that it would bring a lot of good to the village. It falls into the category of rituals known as 'shanti karma' and is a ritual with mass participation.)

• "Nikan Ava" (Generally, the Sri Lankan villagers are very cautious before revealing the purpose or the job for which they have come to a place. They first assess the situation at the host-home and measure up conviviality in the environment whether the one whom the visitor wants to meet is in an amiable frame of mind or there are others whom he does not want to hear about, what he will talk, request or complain of.)

• Superstitions & Omens in Sri Lanka (The best omen for a person setting out on a journey is for him to meet anyone carrying a pot of water, milk or white flowers first. But it is unlucky to meet those with shaven heads or with their hair (konde ) loose, as a sign of mourning, or those with great physical defects or a woman carrying a pot or ‘chattie’. It is also considered unlucky for a person to stumble against something or to be interrogated as to his destination at the outset of the journey)

Ayurveda: Natural Healing with the combination of mind, body, and the soul

• Ayurveda ( The literal meaning of Ayurveda is ‘science of Life’. The origin of Ayurveda can be traced to the Vedas, which are the oldest available classics of the world.)
• Traditional Medicine in Sri Lanka ( From ancient times Sri Lanka had a reasonably developed health care and delivery system to cater to the needs of the population. The ancient chronicle of the country ( Mahawansa) tells of a hospital that was established in the capital city in the 4th century B.C.. Ancient ruins of hospitals have been discovered in the then capital cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Ancient surgical instruments have been recovered which indicates the system of surgery that has existed.)
• Herbal Medicines ( It's amazing just how many herbal treatments and cures there are in Sri Lanka. Almost every herb, vegetable and fruit has a wide variety of medicinal properties. In short, there's a cure for every ailment if you know herbs well enough. Herbal medications are also becoming popular exports in Sri Lanka.)

Other Ceremonies & Rituals

• Funeral rites in Sri Lanka  ( Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims observe different funeral rites when it comes to burying or cremating their dead.After the funeral is over, Buddhists offer 'dana' (alms) to bhikkus on the 7th day and on the 3rd month and at the end of one year, which is considered compulsory, and the merits of such offerings are transferred to the dead to release themselves from any woeful state.)
• Snake charmers of Sri Lanka ( A snake charmer begins his performance by removing the lid of the snake basket and playing a few notes on his flute. As if in response to the summoning of the strange and melancholy tune, the cobra will slither out of the basket and gaze around at the growing circle of onlookers. ) 
• Diyareddha - bathing costume by Sri Lankan women ( The Diyareddha is the most widely used bathing costume by women of Asian countries including Sri Lanka. It is a piece of cloth similar to a sarong. Ladies tie it just above the swell of their breasts and the cloth reaches down their knees.)
• The Duruthu Perahera at Kelaniya ( A colorful and exciting pageant or perahera will take place in Kelaniya during the month of January)
• Walli Yak mangallaya (According to myth, legend, and folklore, Gara Yakka has no evil disposition toward humans. But, he has an evil eye; all he wants is to eat- the satisfaction he demands is for his appetite. He is said to have the capacity to eat more than any other devil in the nether world.)
• Greetings Rituals in Sri Lanka ( Sheaves of betel also play an important part in greetings)
• Akuru Kiyaweema : A solemn rite of learning in Sri Lanka
• Rate mahatmayas and korale mahatamayas ( Rate mahatmayas and korale mahatamayas have been household names during the British Raj in Sri Lanka )
• Buddhist Ceremonies and Rituals of Sri Lanka ( While the specific forms of ritual and ceremony in Sri Lankan popular Buddhism doubtlessly evolved over the centuries, it seems likely that this devotional approach to the Dhamma has its roots in lay Buddhist practice even during the time of the Buddha himself ) 

• Go to Sri Lankan Myths & Mysteries
• Go to Sri Lankan History
• Go to Sri Lankan Heritage

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