ONE DAY IN SRI LANKA

my last Birthday
Poson day Buddhism
Wesak Day

One day in Sri Lanka
By: Akila Chandrasiri of Royal College, Sri Lanka
familymov@eureka.lk

I like to write to you how I celebrated my last B'day. It was a Sunday.
My mother woke me up early in the morning and wished me a very happy
birthday. Then only I remembered that it was my birthday. I get an
inviting smell and jumped out of the bed. I ran to the kitchen and my
guess was right. Mother was preparing "Kiribath" (It's made of rice and
coconut milk. It is very very tasty.) Before we ate " Kiribath" (milk
rice) we took some of it to the temple and offered to Lord Buddha. After
that, we met the main priest of the temple and got his blessings for a long
and a happy life. He did this by tieing a white thread arround my wrist.
After coming home, we greedily ate "Kiribath" (milk rice) with Jaggery.
(We usually eat Kiribath with Jaggery as it is sweeter than sugar. Jaggery
is made by boiling treacle which later hardens) Then the best part came.
The time for me to get my gifts. My father gave me a remote control car.
My younger sister gave me a wonderful pen. I was happy that day. I played
with my toy car and enjoyed myselfe. When it was time for me to go to bed
in the night, I was a little sad as the day had come to an end.

Your friend from Sri Lanka,

Akila

One day in Sri Lanka
By: Akila Chandrasiri of Royal College, Sri Lanka
familymov@eureka.lk

I am Akila Chandrasiri of Royal College, Sri Lanka whom sent you an e-mail
about my last b'day. I hope you got it. Now I would like to write you of
another Sri Lankan cultural Buddhist event called "Poson".

On Poson day Buddhism, our religion was brought to Sri Lanka. It was a token
of friendship from emporer Ashoka of India. Poson is a very important
festival to all the Buddhists connected with a mountain called "Mihintale".
Every year our school celebrates Poson. In 247 B.C.(Before Christ) the then
king of Sri Lanka, King Devanampiyatissa was shocked to see a dignified
figure in yellow robes, calling by his first name "Tissa". The son of Ashoka
Emporer was Mahinda, who preached the teaching of the Buddha to the King and
his people. From that day they all became adherents of the new faith.

As I said before our school (Royal College) celebrates Poson. On Poson
festivals, we sing songs of Buddhism, dramatize the bringing of Buddhism to
Sri Lanka and some of our students give speeches on Poson. As Buddhists, we
go to the temple and attend to poojas. We also give food to poor people and
attend to various charity services. So Dear Dario, I hope you got a good
idea about Poson. I will write to you of our other cultural events in the
near future. Hope to hear from you soon.

Your small friend in Sri Lanka,

AKILA

Wesak Day

From: "Nalaka" <nalaka@eng.slt.lk >

Temple bells all over the island announce the down of Wesak. Pilgrims garbed in austere white in towns and villages alike, slowly wend the ways to the temple to observe Sila that is to spend the day in mediation, reading religious books and listening to the words of the Master recounted by a monk. These two days of Wesak, the full moon day of the month of May and the day following it are the two holiest days of the Buddhist Calendar all over the world. This is when Buddhists commemorate the birth, the enlightenment and the death of the Buddha.

All major towns become places of gaiety at wesak time. The celebrations in Colombo are unmatched. Large pandals bamboo framework are erected along the streets, hung with painting depicting the Buddhas’ life or some Jataka to and illuminated with a myriad of pulsating colors bulbs. Every Buddhist home has some form of lighting, from a lovely bucket lamp to Chinese lanterns or homemade paper lanterns of various shapes and sizes. But the finest illumination of all is the flickering flame of the tiny pol-thel pahana, the coconut oil lamp in lines the driveways of some houses and the courtyards of the temples. Its simple ancient charm is unmatched.

Pantomimes telling Buddhist tales are played out on sidewalk stages. Groups of musicians in mod clothes cause massive traffic jams as crowds gather in the streets to hear them rap out the rhythms of rock music.

Another unique feature of Wesak is the Dansela or alms hall. These little sheds are put up by the roadsides and furnished with tables and chairs. Here local people give out food, ranging from rice and carry to sweet meats, free to all souls weary and footsore after long walks looking at pandals and decorations. Danselas are usually organized by a small group of people living in the same area, assisted by contributions from neighbors.

All major towns in Sri Lanka have their share of Wesak activity, but the visitor is advised to stay in Colombo to see the real grandeur of the holiday.

Dinusha Jayathilaka.

Royal College, Sri Lanka.