Culture of Sri Lanka

Culture of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries with a very vast and rich cultural diversity. The culture is itself very unique and thereby contributes to the Sri Lankan identity. Sri Lankan culture includes a lot of customs and rituals, whish date to more than 2000 years which were handed down from generation to generation. The most prominent feature of the Sri Lankan is its colourful festivals , which is one of the main tourist attractions. Religion plays an important role in molding the Sri Lankan culture and traditions.

Sri Lankan culture if often reflected by the use of art, architecture, sculptures ,and even food. Some people would say that Sri Lanka has a more conventional culture which is obviously influenced by the prominent religions prevailing the country such as buddhism, hinduism, islam , etc. The Sri Lankan way of life is very simple and filled with humility and happiness , this is one of the reasons why the Sri Lankans have a very great sense in appreciating the simple things in life such as nature.

One of the main features of the culture is its Indian and Europen influence. Since most of the time Sri Lankan kings married Indian princesses they incorporated Indian culture into ours but still preserving the unique Sri Lankan identity. The European influence was a result of invasion from the Dutch and Portugese and finally the British. Hospitality is also one of the prominent characteristics of the culture, making Sri Lankans one of the friendly nations in the world.

Indigenous medicine ( ayuruvedic )

Indigenous medicine is also a huge part of the culture which even has said to be able to cure terminal diseases such as cancer. These days in Sri Lanka a lot of ayuruvedic spas and clinics are open for tourists who visit the country , which is also considered as one of the major tourist ( recreational ) attractions.

Sri Lankan Cuisine

The most vital part ( for all the food –lovers ) that dominates our culture is our mouth-watering , exotic food. The recipes might have abit of Indian influence upon it but still it is very unique in its own way. Most of vegetable and fruits dat are used for cooking are sometimes only found in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan food culminates a variety of spices which integrates the exotic taste of the food. Besides the fact that the food is delicious it is widely believed that the food is made in such a way that provides for a very heathly life style. The best part of the cuisine is that its very versatile, where there are a lot of ways to cook one particular dish, which is great for avoiding monotony.