The Sri Lankan Culture

The culture of Sri Lanka is distinctive and contributes to the identity of the country. With religion playing an important role in molding the customs and traditions of Sri Lanka, the country’s close connectivity with neighboring India and the colonization by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British has brought forth a burst of colorful cultural diversity.

Having customs and rituals passed down from generation to generation for more than 2000 years, Sri Lanka has become one of the main tourist attractions, popular for its diverse creative forms of music, dance, visual arts and even food.


Religion
Sri Lanka has provided its citizens with the freedom of religion. For that reason there are varied religions practiced in the country with Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam taking the lead. Sri Lankans consider religion to be a very important aspect in life, and Sri Lanka celebrates many vibrant festivals throughout the year.


Indigenous medicine (ayuruvedic)
A huge part of Sri Lanka and its culture, ‘ayuruvedic’ medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical systems that is said to be able to cure terminal diseases. Today Sri Lanka offers a lot of ayuruvedic spas and clinics for tourists who visit the country.


Arts and Crafts
The Sri Lankan way of life is best depicted by its ancient paintings, sculpture and architecture that were largely influenced by religious beliefs and customs. Sigiriya frescoes and Dambulla cave paintings are the best examples of cave and temple painting in the island. Apart from these, other arts and crafts include; wooden handicrafts, clay pottery, lace and batik work.


Sri Lankan cuisine
Sri Lanka’s cuisine is made up of mouthwatering recipes with a slight Indian influence. The main food consists of boiled or steamed rice served with curries made with generous doses of spices that make the food uniquely delicious and hot to eat.


Music
Sri Lankan music is mainly influenced by Buddhism and Portuguese colonizers. While the Portuguese introduced ballads, ukuleles and guitars, the traditional Sri Lankan music includes the hypnotic beat of drums, flutes, thalampata and horanawa that are widely used in Buddhist and Hindu temples up to date.


Tea
Sri Lanka is one of the biggest tea producers in the world. Tea is a very important part of Sri Lankan culture and hospitality, as every household offers tea to their guests, every time without fail.


Sports
The national sport is volleyball, however cricket could easily be named as Sri Lanka’s favorite sport and it is very common to see both young and old getting together for a friendly game.






Written By: Kavisha Perera