{"id":991,"date":"2015-06-26T18:21:46","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T10:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/?p=991"},"modified":"2025-08-18T23:39:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T15:39:26","slug":"grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Celebrations: Cultural Festivals in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>A fascinating island rich in cultural diversity, it comes as no surprise that Sri Lanka boasts a festival calendar packed with a variety of significant religious celebrations. Several times a year, magnificent processions and glimmering decorations fill up the streets all over the country. At other times, smaller religious and temple events are celebrated in certain regions and towns on the island.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Esala-Perahara-Kandy.jpg\" alt=\"Esala Perahara Kandy\" class=\"wp-image-1021\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/#Esala_Perahara_Kandy\" >Esala Perahara: Kandy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/#Maha_Saman_Devalaya_Esala_Perahera_Ratnapura\" >Maha Saman Devalaya Esala Perahera: Ratnapura<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/#Vel_Festival\" >Vel Festival<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/#Kataragama_Festival\" >Kataragama Festival<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/grand-celebrations-cultural-festivals-in-sri-lanka\/#Vesak_Festival\" >Vesak Festival<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Esala_Perahara_Kandy\"><\/span>Esala Perahara: Kandy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Esala Perahera<\/strong> is a festival like no other. Once a year, a series of grand celebrations takes place in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/en\/find\/kandy-hill-country\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kandy<\/a> during the month of July or August, transforming the streets into a dazzling sight. Majestic elephants, cloaked in vibrant cloths and glittering lights, amble down the roads alongside svelte dancers, lithe acrobats, lively musicians and fearless fire-breathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The festival, lasting over a duration of ten days, is held to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic. The festivities start off with the Kap Tree Planting ceremony, whereby the cuttings of a tree are planted in the four devales. A procession through the streets of Kandy are held every night, starting off on a relatively low-key note, before becoming progressively grander. The spectacular Maha Perhahara, or &#8216;great parade&#8217;, is held on the final night.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Maha-Saman-Devalaya-Esala-Perahera-Ratnapura.jpg\" alt=\"Maha Saman Devalaya Esala Perahera Ratnapura\" class=\"wp-image-1023\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Maha_Saman_Devalaya_Esala_Perahera_Ratnapura\"><\/span>Maha Saman Devalaya Esala Perahera: Ratnapura<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch the streets of Ratnapura bustle alive with energetic crowds and splendid displays! Occuring during the month of September each year, locals and tourists alike gather to watch a throng of festival participants parade down&nbsp;the street &#8211; a grand spectacle that has been in practice for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Vel-Festival-Sri-Lanka.jpg\" alt=\"Vel Festival Sri Lanka\" class=\"wp-image-1025\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vel_Festival\"><\/span>Vel Festival<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The celebration of <strong>Vel Festival<\/strong> is a large-scale affair taken seriously by Hindu devotees. Regarded as the most important Hindu festival in Colombo, a series of festival activities are carried out each year&nbsp;to&nbsp;celebrate the victory of the Hindu god of war. During the festival, eye-catching processions in myriad colours parade the streets, accompanied by groups of lithe figures performing the traditional Kavadi dance, and&nbsp;energetic singers belting out songs in strong voices.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kataragama-Festival-Sri-Lanka.jpg\" alt=\"Kataragama Festival Sri Lanka\" class=\"wp-image-1026\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kataragama_Festival\"><\/span>Kataragama Festival<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The remote town of Kataragama is considered to be one of the most sacred religious sites in Sri Lanka, along with the Temple of the Tooth and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/sri-lanka-travel-guide-our-climb-up-adams-peak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adam&#8217;s Peak<\/a>. The most important shrines within the town are dedicated to the god Kataragama, a deity believed to be residing in this area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year, during the month of July or August, the compact town bustles alive as devotees venture to participate in the <strong>Kataragama Festival<\/strong>. Not a sight for the faint-hearted, throngs of pilgrims show their devotion to Kataragama by performing various acts of self-mutilation and physical mortifications. Some pierce their bodies with skewers, while others walk across fiery coals, holding on to the belief that the god will protect them from pain.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Vesak-Festival-Sri-Lanka.jpg\" alt=\"Vesak Festival Sri Lanka\" class=\"wp-image-1029\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vesak_Festival\"><\/span>Vesak Festival<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Considered to be one of the most significant days in the Buddhist calendar, the <strong>Vesak Festival<\/strong> commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. Celebrations take place on the full moon in May. On this special night, Sri Lanka&#8217;s&nbsp;roads and streets turn into a dazzling sight, filled with beautiful lanterns and illuminated pandols. Devotees organise and participate in a range of religious activities, such as bodhi poojas, singing devotional songs and dansala, which refers to the charitable act of giving out food and beverages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">See our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">villas in Sri Lanka<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fascinating island rich in cultural diversity, it comes as no surprise that Sri Lanka boasts a festival calendar packed with a variety of significant &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[128],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities","tag-arts-and-culture","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4852,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions\/4852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}