Festivals That Are Celebrated Every Month In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a religious country with plenty of different groups, each with their own rituals. The country celebrates many festivals and enjoys plenty of public holidays. The most amazing celebration is the full moon celebration that happens in every month.

Every full moon day is a public holiday in the country and is popular as Poya Festival. These celebrations are the unmissable part of your Sri Lankan holiday. Let our short but comprehensive guide tell you about these holidays so that you can be a part of the celebrations too by applying for onlineSri Lanka visa in time!

An Overview

‘Poya’ or a ‘full moon day’ follows the Buddhist Lunar calendar which is also used for all religious celebrations. Every year has 12 Poya days and if there is a blue moon year, then there are 13. Each Poya has a different name for each Gregorian month.

Celebrations

Vesak Poya

Although all the Poya days are celebrated all across the island, Vesak Poya is a special one. It is believed that on this full moon day, Buddha was born and also reached enlightenment on the same day. It is also believed that he died on the same full moon day. Vesak Poya is celebrated with festivals, fasting, chanting, meditating and special lanterns illuminating every road. It is celebrated in the month of May. Apply for online Sri Lanka visa in the month of May.

Esala Poya

Another Poya Day that is considered of great significance other than the Vesak Poya, is Esala Poya which is celebrated in the month of July. This is the Poya that celebrates Buddha`s first sermon. The tooth relic which is kept inside a gold casket is believed to be arrived in the temple on this day. The city of Kandy celebrates the festival on a grand scale with festivities lasting for an entire week. The celebration includes a parade which is locally known as ‘perahera’. Want to experience it? Apply for your online Sri Lanka visa in the month of July.

There are many performances performed by the dancers and singers. To entertain the audience, the performers sing, dance, throw firecrackers and entertain the audience.  The parades involve decorated elephants and thousands of people travel to Kandy in the month of July for Esala Poya Perahera.  Some temples around the island have perahera parades. Some include elephants while some don`t.

Anuradhapura

One more temple where the full moon day is celebrated on the large scale is Sri Maha Bodhi Temple in the old city of Anuradhapura. A singing and dancing performance is given by Artists from all across the country, especially at the site of the sacred Bodhi Tree. To join the celebrations, it is mandatory to wear white clothes.

Be a part of this amazing celebration that represents the vibrant culture of Sri Lanka. Don`t wait too apply for online Sri Lanka visa, apply it now! For more details log on to sri-lankaeta.com!