Calendar of Events
Sri Lanka has a large number of events reflecting culture, nature and even plan simple party fun! Spread over a calendar year, these events attract such a large number of participants that it may no be possible for some to come for the same.
January
Thai Pongal
Thai Pongal, the Hindu harvest festival, is celebrated on January 14 in Hindu homes and temples throughout the country. Worship at the kovil is mandatory for adherents to the faith. Special rituals are held at home too, such as the cooking and ceremonial consumption of traditional sweetened rice called pongal. An observance of a creative nature, kolam, involves making intricate floor motifs with flour. In rural areas, a sequel known as Madu Pongal follows. Domestic animals are washed and fed, auspicious red colour smeared on their foreheads, and finally they are garlanded with marigolds.February
Independence Day
Independence Day, celebrating independence from Great Britain in 1948, falls on February 4. Parades, dances, processions and national games are organized all over the island. But the main event is held in Colombo, attended mostly by politicians and is televised to the entire island.Gangaramaya Navam Perahera
Gangaramaya Navam Perahera has since developed into one of Sri Lanka's finest. Held at night on Navam Poya at the Gangaramaya Vihara in the heart of Colombo, it's a popular tourist attraction that can be viewed from stands located along the roadside of the procession's route. The fascinating preparations, particularly the arrival of over 100 tame elephants at Viharamahadevi Park during the daytime, can also be observed.March
Maha Sivarathri
Maha Sivarathri, known also as the Great Night of Shiva, is celebrated in late February or early March in Hindu homes and temples across the country. This is the most important religious festival of the year for Shaivites, who comprise the majority of Sri Lanoka's Hindus. It is a deeply symbolic occasion: poojas are held at kovils during the day and can be witnessed by visitors, and every Hindu household keeps an all-night vigil.April
Sri Lankan New Year
Sri Lankan New Year, which occurs usually on the 13th and 14th of April, is a non-religious festival celebrated by the whole population. Originally a harvest thanksgiving, it does not begin at midnight on the designated day, because, like many events in Sri Lanka, the precise (.auspicious.) timings are decided upon astrologically. It.s believed New Year commences not when the old one ends, but a few hours later. The interval between the old and the new is called nona gathe, or .neutral period., during which all activities cease. When the New Year commences, fresh activities begin: a fire is lit and new clothes are worn. Then comes the gana-denu, or .give and take. in which money is exchanged. The festival culminates when oil is mixed with a herbal paste and a respected elder anoints the head of each family member. Over the festive period traditional games, both indoor and out, such as kotta pora (pillow fighting) and havari hengima (hiding the wig) are played in homes and villages, bringing together families and communities. Many shops are closed for up to a week over New Year as people travel en-masse with gifts and specially prepared festive food to offer to family and friends.May
Vesak Poya
Vesak Poya, the most important Buddhist which marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing away (Pariniwana). Large pandals (bamboo frameworks) hung with pictures depicting events in the life of the Buddha are erected in the streets, illuminated by flashing coloured light bulbs. Roadside dansalas (stalls) offering free food and soft drinks to passers-by are notable features of the event. Among the many striking Vesak decorations are intricate paper lanterns of different shapes and sizes, and little clay coconut oil lamps (pol-thel pahana) that flicker throughout the island. Visitors to Sri Lanka at this time will not fail to witness and be moved by the beautiful displays of lanterns outside every Buddhist home, business and temple.June
Poson Poya
Poson Poya is second in importance to Vesak since it commemorates the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in 247BC. The focus of this festival is the ancient capital of the country, Anuradhapura, and the mountainous Mihintale Temple, reached by 1,840 steps, where King Devanampiyatissa was converted to Buddhism in the third century BC. During Poson, the mountain is illuminated and devotees climb the steps in their thousands to pay homage to the event.July
Kandy Perehera
Kandy Perehera, Sri Lanka's most prominent festival is held in the hill capital of Kandy over 10 days in late July to early August and climaxing on Esala Poya. The perahera's origins date back to the third century BC, but the modern event originated in the mid-18th century when the Kandyan king decreed that once a year the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, kept at the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth, should be displayed in a procession for the people to venerate.Today, thousands - including many visitors - flock to Kandy during this dazzling ten-day festival, where, under a star-studded moon-filled sky, the streets of the city appear as flowing threads of fire, colour, and stylized motion, mostly created by flaming torches and enrobed and light bulb-encrusted elephants led by the Maligawa Tusker, on whose back is a gold casket containing the relic.
The air is filled with the pulsating throb of a multitude of drums, the ethereal-sounding wail of wind instruments, the wicked crack of whips, even the occasional trumpeting of an elephant. There is quieter participation too, from stilt walkers, acrobats, and the most aesthetically pleasing and traditionally important of all the performers, the dancers.
The Nallur Festival
The Nallur Festival in Jaffna in August is the island's longest festival. Spanning 25 days of vibrant chariot processions, drumming, dancing and acts of self-mortification, held in honour of the war god Skanda.The Hikkaduwa Beach Festival
The Hikkaduwa Beach Festival brings this town to life at the end of July for four days of beach-based activities, cultural events and musical shows for the whole family. International DJs, local dancers and musicians headline the event. During the day this famous beach hosts many fun activities - sandcastle building competitions, kite flying, beach rugby, and even movies, to keep everyone entertained.August
Arugam Bay surf festival
Arugam Bay surf festival; Arugam Bay is on the list of the top ten surf points in the world. Situated on the South East side of Sri Lanka Arugam Bay receives the same Antarctic winter swell's that hit Indonesia in the in the middle of the year. The best time of the year is between May and November when the predominant wind is offshore for at least the first half of the day. During this period and especially in July & August numbers of surfing competitions are held in Arugam Bay.Esala Festival
Esala Festival in the southeast of the island, the sacred site of Kataragama is brought to life, which commemorates the victory of the six-faced, 12-armed Hindu war god, Skanda, over an army of demons at Kataragama. Naturally, many Hindu devotees make the pilgrimage to the shrine, but Buddhists, Muslims and some Christians also honour this god. During this 10-day festival pilgrims demonstrate their sincerity by performing astonishing acts of penance and self-mortification. These include walking barefoot atop hot coals and spearing themselves with hooks.Elephant Gathering
Elephant Gathering, almost three hundred of wild elephants gather each evening during this season along the banks of the Minneriya Tank for food, water, shelter -- and match-making. Asian elephants are renowned as highly social animals and the reservoir or tank meetings demonstrate their complex group dynamics in action. The atmosphere gives an ideal setting for a world phenomenon, where a high concentration of Asian elephants can be found at a single location during July to October each year.Hotels in the Minneriya area use the "Gathering" – as it is known- to organize safaris to the Minneriya National Park during the season "The Gathering" giving tourists the chance to observe the elephants feasting and frolicking on the water's edge.
Hotels in Sigiriya, Dumbulla, Habarana and Giritale, in close proximity to the Minneriya Park could be earning a billion rupees collectively in revenue during the Gathering season.