The Sinhala language should be a happy minefield for anyone looking at unearthing the jewels of the past. It is embedded with strata or layers from different times, showing how much the language has been overlaid by the influence of different peoples over the ages. In unearthing these layers, linguists become archaeologists, scouring lexicons instead of digging the earth. But ...
Sri Lanka is ranked the fourth biggest exporter of cinnamon in the world, with 8% of the global exports according to a 2014 FAO database. Cinnamomum veru, also known as the Ceylon cinnamon tree, is native to Sri Lanka and considered to be more aromatic than other species. Almost 90% of the world supply of this cinnamon is exported from ...
Clothing, influenced by fashion trends, has been fickle in many cultures, liberally undergoing changes over time. This is more so today than ever before. Fashion changes—although admittedly not as frenzied as today—also took place in the olden days, so much so that one can easily discern the era a painting or a photograph belongs to by simply studying the attire ...
Early October, Hollywood was shaken to its core when multiple allegations of sexual abuse emerged against Harvey Weinstein in the media. Empowered by the takedown of the movie mogul by his victims, women all over the world rallied to express their support and outrage. And so the #MeToo movement was born—or rather revived by actor Alyssa Milano, who urged women ...
After renowned journalist, actor and poet Richard De Zoysa was abducted and murdered, his mother, Dr. Manorani Saravanamuttu, famously called herself the “luckiest mother in Sri Lanka”, because unlike thousands of others, she was fortunate enough to see her son’s body. De Zoysa was one of approximately 65,000 people who have been forcefully disappeared during Sri Lanka’s short but bloody ...
Sri Lanka’s most romantic export commodity is probably cinnamon – that is, “true” cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), earlier known as Ceylon cinnamon, (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). Mentioned in the erotic Biblical Song of Solomon (it allegedly fragranced the garments of Abishag the Shunemmite), besides being touted as an arouser of amorous ardour, the enigma of its origins added to its mystique. Some historians ...
During the years of European colonisation, Ceylon was often seen as the common voyager’s place of refuge or revelry. In a broader dimension, Alan Walters in Palms and Pearls or Scenes in Ceylon (1892) notes: “There is no other country in the world which has, at different periods and by different races, been known under so many names as Ceylon ...
Over the last few weeks, there have been several protests against the Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka. Led by extremist elements, the group protesting against the refugees held banners and placards expressing solidarity with Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and demanded the immediate removal of the asylum seekers who are currently in the country. The situation escalated ...
Kandy is one of the most popular cities in Sri Lanka. Locals and tourists alike, visit this historic city because it is the perfect holiday destination for those who want to get away from the heat, dust, and of course the traffic that comes with Colombo and its suburbs. More importantly, the city has an array of enchanting places of ...
Tucked away in the town of Kolonne, somewhere between Suriyakanda and Embilipitiya, stands what’s left of a once palatial mansion. Maduwanwela Walawwa, whose construction can be traced back to the eighteenth century, was completed, in 1905, by its most revered owner, Maduwanwela Maha Disawe. The Disawe, or “headman”, was given this appointment by the British Government of Ceylon, but, despite ...
The Hindu festival of lights, also known as Deepawali or Diwali, usually takes place late October or early November. It falls on the month of Karthikai (which, according to the Hindu calendar, is somewhere between October and November). We headed to the city of Nawalapitiya in the hill country to find out how the festival was celebrated away from Colombo. ...
In a quiet private street in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, is a large and spacious old house, enclosed by a sliding metal gate. It is quite an ordinary house for such an upmarket area, only a short walking distance from the town hall. It’s not until you enter that you find yourself somewhere quite extraordinary—the home and private office of Sir ...
The Trincomalee oil tanks have been a hotly contested issue in recent days. With the Hambantota port deal completed, and the facility leased out for almost a century, fresh public concern has arisen about losing Sri Lanka’s assets to foreign powers. But the situation might not be as simplistic as the present government ‘selling out’. The Tanks One of the ...
As the season of koels and kavili dawned upon this sweltering hot month, people preparing for the New Year had a number of things on their minds this week – and one of them was, of course, the seasonal shopping. We made a trip to Pettah, Colombo’s most dynamic business hub, to witness first-hand how much busier the district becomes in the days ...
Bellanwila Esala celebrations are held every year around August or September at the Bellanwila Raja Maha Viharaya. These celebrations showcase a number of peraheras, including Devadootha Perahera, Kumbal Perahera, Mal Perahera, Paawada Perahera, Ransivii Perahera and the Randoli Perahera—which is the final and the biggest perahera. This year, the 67th Annual Bellanwila Perahera took place on August 26. The following ...
Male-dominated Sri Lankan colonial society looked upon European women as, essentially, adjuncts to the White male administrators, planters and soldiers who ran the show. However, a rare cookery book, available in the Colombo Museum Library, gives us an insight into their lives. The year 1917 was not a good one for the British Empire. The First World War had dragged ...
The budget for 2018 was presented by the Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera, last Thursday (09). Called the ‘blue-green budget,’ the Minister noted that the government now intends to utilise the “full economic potential of ocean related activities” and build an economy based on environmentally sustainable development strategies. According to the government, the budget is also heavily ...
It is that time of the year again, when samosas become a staple for Muslims all over Sri Lanka, and the streets come alive at night with streams of men and women making their way to the mosque for worship. Ramadan is here, and with it, the questions that Muslims have to field every year about the holiest month in ...
It has been three and a half centuries since the Portuguese colonisers left Sri Lanka, but the language they spoke while here still lingers in the eastern coast of the country. Although few are aware of the existence of this language, Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole (SLPC) is spoken by the Portuguese Burghers, descendants of the early mestiços or the people ...
Last September, a young man was brutally murdered in Dambulla. He was found dead near the city’s central bus stand, with the weapons used for the act found in the vicinity. Mainstream media headlines screamed—not against the act itself, but about his identity. From transgender, to transvestite and cross-dresser, the headlines focused more on his gender, with the rest of ...
