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| JANUARY – Kelaniya Duruthu Perahara |
A colorful religious pageant at the Kelaniya Temple 12 kilo meters away from the city of Colombo. It is a colorful procession of caparisoned elephants, torch bearers and traditional dancers.
The duruthu perahara has taken place since 1... |
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| FEBRUARY - Independence Day |
This day commemorates the granting of independence to Sri Lanka by the British on 4th February 1948. It is a great patriotic and national occasion celebrated with colourful parades and pageants depicting the nation's culture. ...
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| FEBRUARY - Navam Perahera |
A colourful traditional perahera organized by Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo parades the city streets for two nights. Dancers, elephants, and whip crackers make it an unforgettable. ...
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| MARCH - Ballooning Festival |
The inaugural Sri Lanka balloon festival was held in 2003 and since then has been continued almost biennially. The balloon excursions include a few days of flying in the Uda Walawe area, the cultural triangle and the general area of Sigiriya as ...
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| APRIL - Sinhala and Tamil New Year |
The Sinhalese-Buddhists and Tamil-Hindus celebrate a common traditional New Year may begin somewhere between 13 and 15 April depending on the sages. This marks the passage of the sun from Pisces to Aries.
There is an astrological co...
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| MAY - Vesak Full Moon (poya) |
Vesak is a thrice blessed day for Buddhists throughout the world. It commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhartha, his attaining enlightenment and passing away into Nibbana as Gauthama Buddha. It is a day of great sanctity devoted to religious obse... |
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| JUNE - Boat Show |
Venue: BMICH
Sri Lanka is hosting its first ever Boat Show in June. It will open new frontiers of Leisure, Boating, Marine, Industrialization and Commercial Vessels. In Sri Lanka the trend of leisure and adventure boating is yet to found its tr...
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| JUNE - Poson Full Moon (poya) |
Poson, the full-moon festival commemorates the advent of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. The day is celebrated with religious observances. The centre of festivities is at Mihintale, about 12 kilometers from Anuradhapura where the Buddhis...
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| JULY - AUGUST Esala Festival |
Esala (July/August) is the season of festivals in Sri Lanka and the full moon day of Esala is the climax of some of the festivals. The most magnificent of these festivals is the Kandy Esala Perahera. A spectacular medieval day pageant is held for 10 ...
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| JULY - AUGUST Kataragama Festival |
The Kataragama festival is another major Esala Festival. Kataragama in the south-east corner of the island is a shrine dedicated to God Skanda and is a popular pilgrim centre for Buddhists and Hindus. Fire walking and the annual perahera in July/Augu...
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| JULY - AUGUST Bellanwila |
A colourful Esala pageant is also held at the Rajamaha Vihara (Buddhist temple) at Bellanwila, a Southern suburb of Colombo. The perahera features low-country folk dancers in addition to Kandyan dancers. ...
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| JULY - AUGUST Vel Festival |
Some of Colombo's main streets take on a festival atmosphere in August when the capital's main Hindu festival takes place. An ornately decorated Vel Chariot makes its annual trip carrying the weapons of God Skanda from one temple to the other...
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| JULY - AUGUST Munneswaram |
About 85 kilometers north of Colombo (3 kilometers from) Chilaw) is a Hindu Shrine dedicated to God Siva, where a colourful temple festival with fire walking, takes place during the Esala Festival time. This is a popular pilgrim centre for both Hi... |
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| JULY - AUGUST Dondra |
In Southern Sri Lanka, 165 kilo meters from Colombo is the shrine dedicated to God Vishnu at Dondra, where Esala festivals take place every year with colourful perahera's featuring Kandyan and low country dancers.
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| AUGUST - Worlds Spice Festival |
The culinary delights of the World Spice Festival draw on a real mixture of Sri Lankan spices and cooking methods as well as the talents of visiting chefs and the signature spices from their home countries. This year’s World Spice Food Festival...
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| SEPTEMBER - Facets Sri Lanka |
Venue : BMICH
Time 10 am to 6 pm
During the ancient times, Sri Lanka is known as Land of Gems. The Sapphires, Rubies, Emeralds; SriLanka is rich in gems. The “Facets Sri Lanka 2008” is a premier International Gem an...
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| SEPTEMBER - Colombo International Book Fare |
Venue: BMICH
International Book Fair is the biggest exhibition showcasing the publications for Sri Lankan readers. This attracts visitors from small kids to the senior most citizens. All the foremost book publishers and bookshops setup th...
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| SEPTEMBER - World Tourism Day |
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| OCTOBER - The Colombo Marathon |
Venue: Colombo
Started few years ago, the Colombo Marathon is expected to be developed upto the standard of world-famous Marathons. It was previously named LSR International Marathon, where the marathon route cut-across the Colombo ...
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| OCTOBER - Sri Lankan Golf Classic |
Venue: Victoria Golf Club Golf is a sport introduced by British to the country. Rated amongst the 100 most beautiful courses by Golf Digest, Victoria Golf Course in Kandy ( www.srilankagolf.com<... |
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| OCTOBER - Deepavali Festival |
Deepavali is a colorful festival celebrated by Hindus all over the world. This is also known as the festival of lights and one important practice the Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes. The festival is associated w...
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| DECEMBER - National Bird Month |
Organized by: Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL)
Sri Lanka is home for many colorful birds. Over 400 birds including 33 endemics and 200 migrants has been observed from Sri Lankan soil. The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL)...
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| DECEMBER – APRIL (Sri Pada Pilgrimage Season) |
Sri Pada, or Adam's Peak as it is known to Westerners, is a mountain 2,237 meters high situated in the south-west corner of the Central Highlands. Thousands of pilgrims from many faiths climb the mountain to pay homage and make observances com... |
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| Christmas Day |
Sri Lanka is home for many Christians who celebrate the Christmas in grand style. The festival season is marked by street decorations in many places of the city. Christmas carols are common and most of the major corporate companies customarily conduc...
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| DECEMBER - Dawn of new year |
Traditional activities on New Year Eve include dinner dances, partying till dawn, firecrackers. Most of the hotels in the country will host events to celebrate the New Year. Churches hold mid-night mass on the eve of New Year ...
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