A Religious Festival

A Religious Festival

                             August is a very important month.  The Kandy"Perahera is held in August.  This procession is held for days.  Lots of people come to see the perahera.  It is very colourful.  There are many elephants in the perahera.  They are dressed majestically in clothes of different designs and colours.  The whip crackers announce the arrival of the perahera.  They are followed by colourfumy dressed dancers,  drummers,  tom-tom beaters,  flag bearers and stilt walkers.  The torch bearers illuminate the path of the procession.  The Kandy perahera is a religious festival.  The Buddha's tooth relic is taken in the perahera.  The place where the tooth relic is kept is called the Dalada Maligawa The Diyawadana Nilame'is the guardian of the Dalada Maligawa and is an important person in the procession.  The procession of the four devalas.  Vishnu,  natha,  Katharagama and Pattini join the Kandy perahera.  Every year the tooth relic is taken out for the perahera.  Only the Maligawa elephant will carry the nicely decorated relic casket.  He kneels and the casket is kept on his back.  Then he walks very majesticaly in the procession.  People young and old gather in thousands to see the perahera.