The Navam Perahera 2013

This spectacular pageant takes place annually in Colombo at the Gangarama Temple. Overlooking the picturesque Beira Lake, the parade includes a procession of hundreds of monks, followed by the Scared Tooth of the Lord Buddha. Carried on the back of an elaborately adorned elephant, the tooth relic is the main attraction of this parade. Flocks of devout Buddhists and spectators alike take to the streets of Colombo to witness this extravagant spiritual parade. Colourful traditional dancers display various genres of dance prevalent in different areas of the island. The streets are set ablaze with fire dancers and the reverberating throb of  drums fills the air with an energetic cacophony of sound. This year the two day parade takes place on the 24^th and 25^th of February and is bound to be a feast for the senses.

Mattu Pongal celebrations at Tamarind Gardens

The Mattu Pongal celebration took place the day after the Pongal festival which was celebrated across Sri Lanka on 14^th January. Whilst the Pongal festival is a celebration of the first harvest, Mattu Pongal is the festival dedicated to cattle, specifically cows and bulls that play an integral role when sowing paddy seeds.

Legend has it that the Lord Shiva sent his bull ‘Nandi’ to earth with a message to his people, telling them that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. However Nandi mistook his instructions. Instead, he told the people that they should eat everyday and have an oil bath once a month. Upon hearing this news, the angered Lord Shiva banished Nandi to earth and commanded that he would have to serve all farmers in order to produce extra crops, ensuring that his people may eat daily.

We celebrated Mattu Pongal at Tamarind Gardens, our ‘Home away from Home’ with the ceremonious garlanding of our five cows. The celebration was especially touching due to the two new additions to the family ‘Rani’ and ‘Ravan’ who were born only a few days ago. The cattle were adorned with garlands of fresh flowers and painted with ornate designs while a traditional ceremony took place, which included a feast prepared specially for the cows!

Below are a few pictures of the festivities! 

To find out more about Tamarind Gardens please click the link below;
http://www.walkerstours.blogspot.com/2012/08/live-like-local-at-tamarind-gardens.html

A poem from Michael Ondaatje

Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Canada in 1962.  He is the author of The English Patient (for which he received the Booker Prize), In the Skin of a Lion, Coming Through Slaughter, and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.  Currently living in Toronto, Ondaatje's poems explore Sri Lanka's history, mythology, landscape, and personal memories, which weave a rich tapestry of imagery that will have you coming back for more. Below is a poem from his book 'Handwriting'.


To Anuradhapura

In the dry lands

every few miles, moving north,
another roadside Ganesh

Straw figures
on bamboo scaffolds
to advertise a family
of stilt-walkers

Men twenty feet high
walking over fields
crossing the thin road
with their minimal arms
and 'lying legs'

A dance of tall men
with the movement of prehistoric birds
in practice before they alight

So men become gods
in the small village
of Ilukwewa

Ganesh in pink,
                        in yellow,
in elephant darkness

His simplest shrine
a drawing of him

lime chalk
on a grey slate

All this glory
preparing us for Anuradhapura

its night faith

A city with the lap
and spell of a river

Families below trees
around the heart of a fire

tributaries
from the small villages
of the dry zone

Circling the dagoba
in a clockwise hum and chant,
bowls of lit coal
above their heads

whispering bare feet

Our flutter and drift
in the tow of this river

Tuk-tuk wisdom

When traveling on the roads of Sri Lanka, it’s pretty hard to miss the swarms of tuk-tuks (3 wheel taxis) swerving through the streets. Whilst most might find their antics on the road quite alarming, they’re often used as a medium of spreading wisdom (or entertainment) to the masses. Every tuk-tuk driver realises that his tuk-tuk is his source of income. As such, they resort to using various methods of ensuring their tuk stands out from the rest. A tuk-tuk is a blank canvas! Some are decorated with colourful tassels and ornaments, some hang pictures of chubby naked babies on the insides, whilst others slap on a catchy quote.

The next time you are driving through the capital city of Colombo, watch out for these tuk tuks, especially the taxis with ingenious quotes on them! Some are thought-provoking, some salacious, others calculatedly witty, but a number are quite unintentionally funny, with the message being lost in translation.



“Why can’t we love another?”



Here are a few quotes I have collected over the years;

“If you’re cute you can call me baby”

“Don’t break my heart, king of my place”

“I am not driving fast but flying slowly”

“Why attempt to shun your own shadow?”

“Nothing to change my life for you”

“If you can read this, you are losing”

“No god no peace, know god, know peace”

“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship”

“Anytime, anybody, anyway”

“You’re the gift got for me”

“Che Guevara want you to rebel”

“Last warning my friend”

“Any job is better than no job”

Love them or hate them, tuk-tuks are undoubtedly a part of Colombo’s fabric! Our island would be rather dull without these colourful taxis whizzing around, don’t you agree?

Walkers Tours wishes you all a prosperous New Year!