Quantcast
Published On: Sun, Jan 7th, 2018

Are You Ready to Dive into the Rich Culture of Sri Lanka?

The rich cultural heritage and fascinating scenic beauty of Sri Lanka has been attracting foreign travellers the world over for centuries to the island nation. According to experts at Cruxton Travel, a travel portal that eases holidays in Sri Lanka with the booking of tickets and accommodation, the sale for airline tickets, including business class significantly increases, around certain festivals in the country.

photo/ Sue Todd

With the arrival of 2,050,832 tourists in 2016, Sri Lanka’s tourism witnessed 14% growth from the previous year, where the earnings from tourism also increased to reach US$3.5 billion in 2016, showing a $0.7 billion increase from 2015, revealed John Amaratunga, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Development, Land and Christian Affairs, at a media briefing.

A Look into the Rich Culture of Sri Lanka

Around 70% of Sri Lanka’s population follows Theravada Buddhism as their religion. Buddhism was introduced to the island nation in the 3rd century AD and since then, the country has been a center of Buddhist scholarship and learning. Visitors from across the globe visit Sri Lanka for its Buddhist monasteries, which there are around 6,000 of and to meet monks, who are more than 15,000 in number. There are numerous cheap hotels in Sri Lanka, making accommodation convenient for tourists.

Once in Sri Lanka, you’ll realize that the locals follow a rich artistic tradition too. There are a plethora of creative forms of dance, music and the visual arts. It is for this reason that one should consider visiting the country to participate in its spectacular festivals, unique rituals and culture.

  • Duruthu Poya: This festival Gautama Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka 25 centuries ago. Duruthu Poya is a celebration of the teachings of Buddhism. On the first full moon Poya day of the year, in the month of Duruthu or January, followers on Buddhism cease their worldly pursuits and engage in meditation and spiritual activities.
  • Thai Pongal: Held on the first day of ‘Thai,’ which is the tenth month of the Tamil calendar, falling in mid-January, Thai Pongal is celebrated by the agricultural communities as a tribute to the sun, thanking it for a bountiful harvest. Homage is also paid to the cattle for their integral role in agriculture. If you want to witness gratitude and hope, this is the best time to visit Sri Lanka, but book your first class flights to Sri Lanka in advance to get a good deal.
  • Sinhala-Tamil New Year: Celebrating the end of the harvesting season, the Sinhala & Tamil New Year is celebrated in the month of April, a day when people exchange gifts, visit their relatives and engage in New Year games. The guest houses and hotels in the country also hold New Year festivities and serve delicious food.
  • Good Friday: Did you know that 7.4% of the population is Christians, of which 6.1% is Roman Catholic and 1.3% follow other forms of Christianity. To commemorate the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, festivities are held on the eve of Good Friday.

Visit Sri Lanka for its beautiful churches and other places of worship. However, make sure you check out the business class tickets to Sri Lanka on sale beforehand to get discounts.

Author: Dharmendra

photo/ Roman Bader

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- The generic Dispatch designation, used primarily for press releases or syndicated content, but may be used for guest author requesting a generic nomenclature

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives