Festivals Calendar

January Duruthu Poya commemorates the first of the Buddha’s three legendary visits to the island with a spectacular procession at Kelaniya, just outside Colombo. On 14–15 January, the Hindu harvest festival of Thai Pongol is marked by ceremonies at Hindu temples across the island and the ceremonial cooking of newly garnered rice.

Late January/early February, the Galle Literary Festival (www.galleliteraryfestival.com) attracts leading writers from around the globe.

February Navam Poya is celebrated with a big elephant procession at Colombo’s Gangaramaya temple – a relatively modern festival.

13–14 April The Buddhist and Hindu New Year (roughly coinciding with the west coast monsoon). Families swap gifts, kiribath (milk-cooked rice) cakes are eaten, new clothes worn and horoscopes cast.

Good Friday The island of Duwa hosts a major Easter Passion play

May The most important of Sri Lanka’s poya days, Vesak combines a three-fold celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death (all of which are traditionally believed to have occurred on this one day). Devout Buddhists visit their temple to meditate, free food is given out at the roadside and lamps are lit in front of houses.

June–August Poson Poya, the second most important of Sri Lanka’s poya days, celebrates the introduction of Buddhism to the island by Mahinda, with pilgrims congregating on Anuradhapura and Mihintale.

July The lunar month of Esala is Sri Lanka’s festival season. The most famous is Esala Perahera at Kandy (for more information, click here), while there are also major festivals at Kataragama and Dondra.

August Honouring the god Skanda, Vel is one of the island’s most important Hindu festivals, with colourful processions in Colombo during which the god’s chariot is dragged across the city.

Late October/early November Deepavali is the Sri Lankan equivalent to North India’s Diwali, celebrating the exploits of Rama and the triumph of good over evil.

25 December Christmas.