PHOTO GALLERY

Kandy Esala Perahara

Esala Perahera is the crowning glory of Kandy, the second largest city of Sri Lanka which is also one of the six World Heritage sites declared by UNESCO. The Esala Perahera conducted in the month of July and August in honor of the sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha was commenced in the 18th century during the reign of the king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1781).

Deepavali Festival

Diwali, Deepavali or Dipavali is a Hindu festival of light, which is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere each fall. Diwali is one of the most popular festivals of Hinduism. It symbolizes the spiritual: "light is better than darkness, it is good to defeat evil and knowledge is better than ignorance". Light is a metaphor of knowledge and consciousness. Temples, houses, shops and office buildings light up during the celebration.

Annual Golf Classic Tournament

The Sri Lankan Airlines Annual Golf Classic is the best golf tournament in the country, which attracts the best golf players on the island and around the world. The tournament takes place on the Victoria golf course, near Kandy, with the most idyllic surroundings, with a picturesque landscape and equally spectacular landscapes of mountains and lakes. The golf course is classified as one of the 100 most beautiful courses in the world. This armature tournament is open to golfers with a National Golf League board or other recognized obstacles, and each participant participates in two 18-hole games at Stableford for two consecutive days.

National Kite Festival

The National Kite Festival is a place where creativity has soared to the top, as people of all ages and backgrounds show their craftsmanship and paint the sky, each with a different shadow. A competitor of the kite festival can be anyone, a group or an organization, but the festival is open to everyone. Kites vary in shape and size and are usually made of dried leaves and colored paper and saree. Typically, there is the longest comets competition or the most innovative comets natural resource competition.

Katharagama Perahera

Kataragama Perahera takes place every year in July and August. This Perahera is part of the Esala Perahera that participates in Kandy, is dedicated to the god of wisdom in India and Skanda is also known as the Deviyo Kataragama by the inhabitants of Sri Lanka. It is said that God Skanda has six heads, twelve weapons, and twenty names.

Vesak Festival

Vesak is the religious celebration of Lord Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinibbana. During the festive season, Buddhists decorate their houses with lanterns and other colorful decorations. During night people visit major cities to see the Thoran and lanterns which create a scenic view and to enjoy charity food distributed in ‘Dunsal’ (Freely giving foods, coffee, tea, cool drinks from people).

Galle Literary Festival

Galle Literary Festival: Since its debut in 2007, the Fairway Galle Literary Festival has become one of the most anticipated literary events in Southeast Asia, offering cultural events to writers and literary enthusiasts around the world. The festival celebrates the UNESCO World Heritage site each year in and around the historic Dutch Fort Galle, on the south coast of the tropical island of Sri Lanka. Galle Literary Festival is a remarkable experience for any person who desires to explore the avenues of world literature, which brings together local and foreign literary fans. The welcoming setting stimulates the participants toward reading, writing and sharing knowledge and their passion for books. The festival is an ideal meeting place for writers from around the world. Its intimate form gives visitors the opportunity to appreciate the works of Sri Lankan and international writers, participate in literary discussions and enjoy the beautiful and unique settings of other writers, readers, archaeology, ecology, philosophy, culture, music, art, and culinary activities. The Fairway Galle Literary Festival features writing workshops, roundtables, thematic debates, poetry readings, cooking classes, theatre workshops, and literary lunches, as well as poetry, jazz performances, wine tastings, art exhibitions and photography exhibitions at night.

Nuwara Eliya Festival

The month of April attracts thousands of visitors to this scenic city located in the hill country amid tea plantations to experience the mesmerizing sports festivals and cultural celebrations. This festival is held on 1st of April to 30th of April. In this era, this charming old town is a hive of activity ranging car races to mountain bike challenge, supermoto, boating, golf tournaments, horse races, tennis tournaments, softball tournaments, boat races, aurudu uthsawaya, Gregory’s MUD challenge (4*4 vehicles), flower show, jet sky show, remote control plains, badminton championship, carnival, hill climb and many more facilities and live performance. The horse racing introduced by the British are indeed a popular event and still maintain a prominent position, especially among the elite. Nuwara Eliya is sure to beat the heat wave and dance at different speeds as the island is busy with traditional New Year celebrations during the festival. Every night, dance and music shows are also hosted at various hotels.

Hikkaduwa Beach Festival

Hikkaduwa Beach Festival (Hikka Fest) is organized annually providing an opportunity for you to celebrate and experience the beach life to the core. The festival features both local and international DJs, famous musicians, world-class dancers, and fun are the central themes of the festival, with events for all ages.

Annual Madu Church Festival

The Shrine of Lady Madhu is the Roman Catholic Temple of Marian in the Mannar district of Sri Lanka. With over 400 years of history, this sanctuary is the center of pilgrimage and worship for Catholics in Sri Lanka. The site is considered to be the most sacred Catholic sanctuary on the island and is a famous place for Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics. The church is not only a symbol of solidarity between the Tamils and the Sinhalese but also a person of different religious beliefs, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Protestants.

World Surfing League

The World Surf League would like a top-level professional surfing event in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. This event promotes professional surfers as world-class athletes. Celebrating history, the best athletes, diverse fans and dedicated partners who together embody professional surfing.

The Poson Festival

Poson, also known as Poson Poya, is an annual festival organized by Buddhists from Sri Lanka to celebrate the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the third century BC. This festival is the most important festive day of Poya (full moon) every year. It is also the second most important Buddhist festival of the year and has been overtaken by Vesak. Celebrating Poson throughout the island, the most important festival was held in Anuradhapura and Mihintale. The festival took place at the beginning of June, coinciding with the full moon of June.

Kite Surfing (Kalpitiya)

It took a while. Kalpitiya has been included in the list of our plans for a while. An impressive flat and windy lagoon is comparable to Sri Lanka's long season. Sri Lanka is the closest and most accessible tropical destination, with many airlines such as Emirates and Qatar, which are comfortable and economical golf airlines. There is also a kite school that suits the concept of Sri Lanka.

Sri Pada Pilgrimage Season

Rich in bio-diversity, Sri Pada, also known as Adam’s Peak is considered as Sri Lanka’s holy mountain by Buddhists. The 7359ft conical mountain is named after the “sacred footprint” (Sri Pada) located in the summit of the mountain which is believed as the Lord Buddha’s footprint by the Buddhists around the world. Hindu’s believe the footprint belongs to Lord Shiva while Christians believe it to be the footprint of St. Thomas. The pilgrim season begins in December and ends in May on the day of Wesak Poya. Many pilgrims and tourists who scaled Adam’s Peak prefer to spend the night at the peak of the mountain with the hope of witnessing the dawning of the sun which is a breathtaking scene.

Sinhala Tamil New Year

The Sinhala New Year, usually known as Aluth Avurudda in Sri Lanka, is a festival in Sri Lanka that celebrates the traditional New Year of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. This is an important anniversary celebration, not only for the Sinhalese but also for most Sri Lankans. The Sinhala New Year’s calendar coincides with the New Year’s celebrations of many traditional calendars in South and Southeast Asia. This festival looks a lot like Tamil New Year and other years in South and Southeast Asia. This is a holiday in Sri Lanka. It is usually celebrated on April 13th or April 14th, traditionally starting with the new moon. This term is more appropriate because Aluth Avurudda is mainly to celebrate the harvest, especially in the agricultural community. Maha's harvest provides an opportunity to thank and enjoy the fruits of the earth.

Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of God Shiva. There is a Shivaratri on March 13th night/14th day, but once a year in late winter and before the arrival of Summer marks Maha Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva".

Duruthu Perahera

Duruthu Perahera is one of the most culturally honored parades celebrated by devotees of Duruthu in January. The main celebration takes place every January before the full moon day of poya in the historic Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya (Temple) to commemorate Buddha's third visit to Sri Lanka.

Independence Day

The Independence Day of Sri Lanka is celebrated every year on February 4th. Sri Lanka gained its independence from the United Kingdom on February 4th in 1948. This day is a national holiday in Sri Lanka. The main celebrations were held in Colombo. The president raised the national flag here and delivered a speech at the national television broadcast event. Independence Day is a great national occasion to celebrate beauty pageants and competitions, which combines patriotism and national pride. Flag ceremonies, dances, parades, and cultural shows take place throughout the country. The celebration begins with the flight of the national flag and the singing of the national anthem, followed by the traditional illumination of the lighting ceremony. There are cultural programs and refreshments. This National Day is of great importance to the people of Sri Lanka because it reflects the history of the people of Sri Lanka who make great sacrifices to achieve freedom. This is a day to pay tribute to the armed forces that play an important role in the country's wrestling.

Nallur Festival

Located in the northern most point of Ceylon, Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is one of the major Hindu kovils in Sri Lanka. With the dawn of month of August, city of Jaffna become a heaven on earth with the festival of Nallur featured with fabulous decorations, mrudanga sounds, chariot processions, dances and plenty of other acts dedicated to the name of god Skanda. The festival lasts for 25 days.

European Film Festival

The European Film festival held in Colombo, Sri Lanka is an outstanding cinematic experience organized by The European Union Delegation in partnership with European Cultural Institutions and Diplomatic Missions in Colombo and New Delhi with the attempt to promote cultural awareness and strengthen the relationship between European nations and Sri Lanka through cinematographic insights. 

Eid al- Adha in Sri Lanka

Eid al- Adha or the Hajj festival is one of the significant religious festival celebrated by Muslim community in Sri Lanka similar to Christmas.  It is celebrated in middle of August and on this day, all the Muslims in the country attend the mosque and pray.  

Unduvap full moon poya day

Celebrating twelve full moon poya days throughout the year, Unduvap Poya is the last Full Moon Poya day (In December) which commemorates the arrival of Sangamitta Theri in Sri Lanka with a Bo sapling from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in India during the month of Unduwap. 

Christmas in Ceylon

Although the snow is a stranger to the Ceylonese Christmas, the festivity is there throughout the Decembers.  The streets decorated with dazzling lights and Christmas trees, Chimes of the bells and buzzing of the crowds make the season festive.