Proud of Sri Lanka

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Vesak in Sri Lanka

This year, India at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government participated at the Buddha Rashmi Vesak celebrations and displayed a Vesak lantern modelled on the Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, Bihar, India.

The lantern being exhibited is based on the architecture of the Mahabodhi Temple.

The event is being jointly organised by the Presidential Secretariat and the Gangaramaya Temple from 15 to 19th May 2014 in Colombo.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

16th World Conference on Youth

The 16th World Conference on Youth 2014 commenced on 06 May at the Magam Ruhunupura International Convention Center in Hambantota on a grand scale under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President of the United Nations General Assembly Dr. John William Ashe and special envoy on Youth Affairs of the Unite Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Ahamad Al Hendavi were among the special guests. Ministers of Youth Affairs from 27 countries, special diplomats and representatives from youth organizations in 118 countries had participated in the opening ceremony of the conference.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Blessing on Country

Invoking blessings on the country, President, Government and all, a record four-digit number of Buddhist monks who assembled at the BMICH premises on yesterday evening chanted the 'Jaya Pirith' and appealed celestial powers to help the country's forward march, dispelling all challenges and setbacks posed to the Nation.More than 4000 Buddhist monks took part in the chanting that went on till this morning.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Traditional Arts & Crafts of Sri Lanka

Arts & Crafts

Art of Sri Lanka has achieved great heights during the course of history. All the Sri Lankan art forms like dance, music, sculpture, paintings and architecture have enjoyed development. with the influence of Buddhism. Originated religious beliefs of the people is the base of Sri Lanka arts. Every phase in the history of Sri Lanka has added some characteristic elements to it's arts and crafts.

Wood Carving

Handicraft of woodcarving in Sri Lanka has a long history. The tradition of woodcarving in Sri Lanka is visible at Lankatilaka Temple and Ambakka Devale at Kandy. At these temples, miniature replicas of the low-relief wood carving done by the traditional woodcarvers can be bought at fair prices. The three dimensional carvings of ebony Elephants, Buddha are popular in Sri Lanka.Wood-carved decorative panels are used widely in Sri Lanka in the trade of interior decoration too.

A wide range of handicraft items made of wood combine utility and beauty adding elegance to your lifestyle, such as wall hangings, fancy jewellery, figurines, sculpture, lacquer products, gift boxes, toys, educational items for pre-school children, household items are some of the woodcraft items produced in Sri Lanka.

Brassware

Brassware is produced in two main techniques: wrought and cast. Bowls, tea services, trays, and ornamental ware as well as decorative ware are produced in wrought technique.

Metal Cut work

Handicraft of metal cutwork involves cutting the design onto a flat sheet of metal first and embellishing the work by engraving, hatching or Repose secondly. This method is adopted mainly in production of metalwork such as trays and plaques. In Repose method, the desired pattern is hammered in on the reverse side so that the relief carvings emerge on the front side. Repose metalwork is the most characteristic type of Sri Lankan metalwork. This method is applied on brass, copper, silver, or all three together to create a variety of traditional designs.

Lace making

Lace making is not an indigenous art that was pioneered by the Portuguese in the 16th century. It began in the South-western coastal areas, especially around Galle and was practiced by the Dutch ladies during the Dutch colonial era. Later the Sinhalese ladies caught on Lace making and established a handicraft in south western coastal belt of Sri Lanka. During the 19th century, when Galle sea-port was in its heyday, lace products of the South-western coastal belt arose to outstanding heights in popularity. Today lace making is continued mainly by the Sinhalese ladies who inherited the handicraft from their ancestors.
Along Galle, Weligama coastal areas the ladies are seen engaged in lace making-crochet and tatting-in the verandahs of their houses. Among the range of products made with lace making are blouses, table linen, curtains, bed spreads and pillows.

Traditional Dances In Sri Lanka

Uda Rata Natum - (Ves)

"Ves" dance, the most popular, originated from an ancient purification ritual, the Kohomba Yakuma or Kohomba Kankariya. The dance was propitiatory, never secular, and performed only by males. The elaborate Ves costume, particularly the headgear, is considered sacred and is believed to belong to the deity Kohomba. Only towards the end of the nineteenth century the Ves dancers were first invited to perform outside the precincts of the Kankariya Temple at the annual Kandy Perahera festival. Today the elaborately costumed Ves Dancer symbolize Kandyan dance.

Devil Dances

The "Devil Dances" are an attempt to respond to the common belief that certain ailments are caused by unseen hands and that they should be chased away for the patient to get cured. If an individual or a family is not doing well, the village-folk believe that it's because that person or the family is being harassed by unseen hands. A 'Thovil' ceremony is the answer. The 'Thovil' can be a simple ritualistic ceremony at home restricted to family and immediate neighbours or involving the whole village like the 'Gam-Maduva' or the 'Devol-Maduva' which is closely linked to the worship of gods.
Masked dancers take part in at least two of the well-known 'Thovil' ceremonies referred to as the 'Maha Sohon Samayama' and the 'Gara Yakuma'. The mention of 'Maha Sohona' frightens the people since he is believed to be the demon of the graveyards.
The performer disguises himself as a bear and wears a mask and a dress to resemble one. Often the 'Thovil' involves the 'sanni' dances where all the dancers wear masks. The 'Daha Ata Sanniya' refers to sixteen ailments with a demon being responsible for each one of them.Dancers wearing masks take part in processions while at certain ceremonies, masks are used to depict different characters.

Dance Drama

There is also in the low country a dance-drama called Kolam in which the performers wear masks depicting animals or people such as kings or high officials, and provides amusement and social satire. It has been suggested by scholars that Kolam may have developed from the ritual known as Sanni Yakuma and had later become a dance-drama independent of ritual elements.