May
The Yala monsoon blows in
for five months, bringing
huge rains from the Indian
Ocean that drench the Hill
Country and the beach
towns in the southwest.
z Vesak Poya
This two-day holiday
commemorates the birth,
enlightenment and death
of the Buddha. Amid the
festivities, the high point is
the lighting of paper
lanterns and displays of
coloured lights outside
every Buddhist home, shop
and temple. Night-time
Colombo is a riot of colours.
June
Sri Lanka’s Buddhists
barely have a chance to
catch their breath after
Vesak before another
major religious event
occurs – and they’ll want
to catch their breath...
z Poson Poya
The Poson poya day cel-
ebrates the bringing of
Buddhism to Sri Lanka
by Mahinda. In Anurad-
hapura there are festivities
in the famous temples,
while in nearby Mihintale
thousands of white-clad
pilgrims ascend the lung-
busting 1843 steps to the
topmost temple.July
Light-bulb vendors do
a huge business as
Buddhists gear up for
Esala Perahera, which
begins at the end of the
month. Light displays are
an integral part of the
Kandy festivities, with
a parade of light-bulb-
decorated elephants.z Vel
This festival is held in
Colombo and Jaffna. In
Colombo the gilded chariot
of Murugan (Skanda), the
god of war, is ceremonially
hauled from Pettah to
Bambalapitiya. In Jaffna
the Nallur Kandaswamy
Kovil has a 25-day festival.z Kataragama
Another important Hindu
festival is held at Kata-
ragama, where devotees put
themselves through a whole
gamut of ritual masochism.
It commemorates the
triumph of the six-faced,
12-armed war god Skanda
over demons here.August
The Kandy Esala
Perahera is importantbut smaller versions are
held across Sri Lanka.
Many celebrations
feature dancers and other
performers such as stilt-
walkers who practise all
yea r.z Kandy Esala
Perahera
The Kandy Esala Perahera,
Sri Lanka’s most spectacu-
lar and prominent festival,
is the climax of 10 days
and nights of celebrations
during the month of Esala.
This great procession hon-
ours the sacred tooth relic
of Kandy and starts in late
July.z Nallur Festival
Jaffna’s Nallur Kandas-
wamy Kovil temple is the
focus of an enormous and
spectacular Hindu festival
over 25 days in July and Au-
gust, which climaxes on day
24 with parades of jugger-
naut floats and gruesome
displays of self-mutilation
by entranced devotees.October
This is a month of
meteorological mystery
as it falls between the two
great monsoon seasons.
Rains and squalls can
occur almost any place,
any time.P OYA
Ever y poya (full-moon) day is a holiday. Poya causes buses, trains and accommoda-
tion to fill up, especially if it falls on a Friday or Monday. No alcohol is supposed to be
sold on poya days, and some establishments close. Some hotels and guesthouses
discreetly provide thirsty guests with a cold beer ‘under the table’.
Note that the official full-moon day for poya does not always coincide with the
same designated full-moon day in Western calendars. Because of the religious time
used to calculate the exact moment of full moon, the poya day may be a day earlier
or later than that shown on regular calendars.PLAN YOUR TRIP
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