Vel Festival:
Country's major Hindu festival, which signifies the cultural and religious transit of Hinduism. Celebration parties take place in Colombo, attracting hundreds and thousands of explorers from all over the island and globe. Vel festival is all about the war god Skandha. The festivities memorialize the victory of good over evil and worship his harpoon, the vel. During the main demonstration in Colombo, which begins in Pettah and comes to an end at Bambalapitiya, Skandha's vel kept in a glittering gold chariot pulled by hundreds of disciples donned in white with their faces daubed in holy ash. In the main event, hundreds of dancers, musicians, acrobats, and elephants serpent through the various parts of the city. Together with the scent of burning incense and jasmine flowers, sounds of bells, chants, drum roll, and vibrant parading the streets.
Nallur Festival:
The enormous and spectacular Nallur Festival is held in Jaffna rivals the magnificent remembrances of those at the Kandy Esala Perahera. The beautiful Kandaswamy Temple comes in the spotlight during the festival, where thousands of adherents come together. During the festival, men can be seen dressed in white sarongs, and women are spotted in sarees which transforms the temple complex into a sea of vibrant colours. While the Nallur run of 25 days, there are many parades featuring juggernaut floats, performers, and gleaming thrones being carried around down. The 24th day of Nallur marks the Ther events whereby a huge chariot is pulled by hundreds of sarong-clad men and becomes the biggest night of the holiday.
Sinhala and Tamil New Year:
These two amazing festivals occur at the beginning of the Lunar Year, which is April. Throughout this period, the entire country comes alive with colourful festivities and a joyful spirit. To celebrate the Tamil new year fete, people clean their houses, make outmoded sweets and desserts, and spend time with loved ones. During the day, locals will beautify their finest outfits and take part in copious activities such as blessing their children with herbal oils, sharing the first home-cooked feast of the year with family, setting off fireworks and playing games in the street.
Vesak Poya:
Remarked and celebrated this holy and cultural festivals is of utmost importance to Buddhists and begins in the month of Vesak, which is May on the Gregorian Calendar. This weeklong celebration, known as the Festival of Light, observes the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana. During the Vesak, the whole island, chiefly Colombo, becomes a kaleidoscope of coloured lights and lanterns.
Maha Shivarathri:
Celebrating the marriage of Shiva to Paravati, the Maha Shivaratri is the most important festivals to all the disciples of Shiva. The maquillage of the celebration includes all-night vigils, parties, and obvious prayers around the homes and in temples. At the start of each day, worshipers take a purification bath and, after, carry water pots to their local temple to bathe Shiva statues in milk and honey and cover them in red vermillion to symbolize purifying the soul.
Kandy Esala Perahera:
Another week-long festival is considered one the ancient and most glorifying of the Island's Buddhist celebration. This grand festival is witnessed in the month of Esala, which July or August. The festival pays reverence to the sacred tooth relic of Buddha, which is treasured in the city's admired temple. During the festival, drummers, dancers, fire jugglers, musicians perform in processions who all are lavishly dressed wearing contemporary outfits.
Kataragama festival:
The festival is of significant importance in Sri Lanka and is almost celebrated simultaneously as Kandy's Esala Perahera, Kataragama's version may not be as famous, but it is on the same opulence and energetic scale. During this time, the pilgrims visit Sri Lanka to fulfil their vows and seek divine supervision from lord Kataragama and often indulge in rituals.
Pada Yatra Pilgrimage:
Thousands of devotees indulge in the two-month Pada Yatra pilgrimage, even known as The Long Walk to Kataragama, before the Kataragama Festival. This conventional and daunting foot journey starts in the north, on the Jaffna Peninsula, and extends south along Sri Lanka's glorious east coast, across the spectacular Yala National Park and the holy Kataragama shrine in the jungle. The oldest annual pilgrimage in Sri Lanka was predominantly made up of village worshipers, but now explorers come from all phases of life and faith groups. Sri Lankans from all walks of life come together to complete the epic spiritual journey through varied and exquisite landscapes to meet the sacred Kataragama.