Traditions and Customs

Sri Lanka: Traditions and Customs
Customs and traditions are deeply ingrained in Sri Lankan society and have been safeguarded, from one generation to the next, over its rich 2,500 year old history. These traditions are intertwined with day to day life of the island’s four ethnic groups – the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers – and its religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.

Traditional greeting
In our island home, you will be greeted with clasped palms, as if in prayer, and a head nodded in welcome; the words “Ayubowan” – “May You Live Long” – forming on each islander’s lips. The equivalent greeting in Tamil is “Vanakkam”, whilst the Muslims will say “Assalamu Alaikum”.

Traditions: From Birth and Beyond
The traditions found below are an intrinsic part of the lives of primarily the island’s Sinhalese and Tamils. From birth, important rituals are conducted around culturally significant milestones such as the Naming Ceremony and a child’s first feeding of solid food.

Naming Ceremony
The ‘Nam Tebima’ or Naming Ceremony is an important ritual in traditional Sinhalese society. An Astrologer, based on the time of birth, provides a selection of letters with which to name the child (usually, a selection of letters with which both the first and middle name should start with is given).
Sri Lankan law requires a newborn to be registered within 90 days of birth.

First Meal of Solids
Traditional Sinhalese families celebrate a child’s maiden feeding of a meal of rice in this ‘Idul Kata Gema’ ceremony.

First Trip Outdoors
‘Dorata Veduma’ where a child is first exposed to the rising morning sun outdoors is another important ritual in traditional Sinhalese society. The practice bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Hindu custom ‘Aditya Darshana’, the ceremony of taking a child out to see the sun in the fourth month of life.

Introduction to the Letters of the Alphabet
Education is a vital element in the life and culture of Sri Lankans. The ‘Akuru Kiyaweema’ ceremony takes place as a child reaches three years of age, when, on a pre-determined day (an auspicious day according to the child’s horoscope) parents, a learned person or a priest will teach the child his first letters, in the company of family and well-wishers.

Kandyan Dance (Uda Rata Netum)
The Kandyan dance form flourished under the Kandyan Kingdom, Sri Lanka’s last kingdom.

There are four types of Kandyan dance – Pantheru, Ves, Naiyadi, and Udekki. In addition, there are 18 Vannamas (representation in dance of animals and birds), which include the Gajaga Vannama (Elephant) and the Mayura Vannama (Peacock). Under the Kandyan kings, this dance form became an integral part of the Kandy Esala Perahera, the 10-day long magnificent festival held to honour the tooth relic of the Lord Buddha and invoke blessings from the gods for abundant rainfall.

Low Country Dance (Pahatharata Dance)
Low country dances are highly ritualistic and are performed to appease evil spirits which cause sickness. Dancers wear masks depicting characters in the form of birds, demons, reptiles, etc.

If the mnemonics of the drum govern the form of the dance, this is illustrated well in the low country dances of Sri Lanka where the ‘Yak Bera’ (or the ‘Demon Drum’) plays an important role. The rather free and easy movement and basic rhythm of the ‘Devol Dancer’ (dance to appease the deity, Devol) combined with a very elementary mime danced to the ‘Yak Bera’ typifies low country dancing. The ‘Devol Madu’ (or occasions for the propitiation of the gods) for the dance of appeasement of the gods is the low country parallel of the Kohomba Kankariya.

Traditional Dress
Sarong
A sarong is a garment consisting of a length of printed/plain cloth wrapped about the waist. Sarongs are the standard garment for most men in rural and even some urban communities. In cities, you will see a mix of Western clothes and the traditional sarong.

Sari
A sari usually consists of six yards of often brightly coloured cloth wrapped around the body. In cities, you will see a mix of Western clothing as well as the traditional sari.

Religions of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a multi-religious

society. Though Buddhism is the major religion, other religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are also followed.

About 70% of the population follows Buddhism. Buddhism came to Sri Lanka from India during the reign of Ashoka in third century BC and played a significant role in the establishment of Sinhalese kingdoms since the early times, dating back to over two thousands years. Buddhism was regarded the highest ethical and philosophical expression of Sinhalese culture and civilization.

Hinduism is mainly practised by Tamils in Srilanka who ethnically belong to South India where Hinduism was predominantly practiced. Around the fifth and the sixth century A.D., the Chola dynasty of South India usurped the throne of the Sinhalese Kingdom and conquered the island, leading to the considerable number of immigrants from South India into the northern Sri Lanka. Thus Hinduism was introduced in Sri Lanka and during the reign of Tamil kings, Hindu shrines were widely constructed. Major Hindu Gods that are worshipped in Sri Lanka are Vishnu, Shiva, Kali, Ganesha and Skanda.

Muslims comprise nearly 7% of Sri Lanka's population. In ancient times Arab traders from the Middle East visited the southern part of Sri Lanka for their business and later settled in the island. The Muslim community in Sri Lanka attained dominant growth by 10th century A.D.

Christianity first came to Sri Lanka upon the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. Under their rule, Roman Catholicism was spread out in a mass scale of the Island with many Roman Catholic schools for the Sinhalese and the Tamils. With the attempts of the Portuguese to Christianize native people, Buddhism and Hinduism were severely affected. There were an increasing number of both Sinhalese and Tamils converting to Roman Catholicism. When the Portuguese were driven out by the Dutch, Protestantism and the Dutch Reformed Church was introduced. During the British rule conversions to Christianity increased. Later on due to the nationalism movement among the Sinhalese who held sway the political power; Christianity in Sri Lanka was somewhat restricted.