Festival of colour and lights

Prasad Abu Bakr

May, which is considered the month of Wesak is celebrated with grand pomp and pageant throughout the country. On the 1st and 2nd day of nest month is Wesak which is supposedly the day that the nobel one whose birth, enlightenment and parinibbana (passing away) all took event on the same day.

Though the event is celebrated country-wide it is Colombo that comes into the focal point, the many gigantic pandols depicting various jathaka stories and also the various lanterns that decorate the city may one reason why people from all parts visit the metropolis during the holy week of Wesak.

In the days gone by it was regular that in all homes, the young specially, shave their own bamboo strips, which they would cut off from some bamboo tree or the other on the way side. Which then will be tied up into shape creating the skeleton for the lantern that would hang high from a tree in the garden of each home.

But today it is a different scenario that we witness. Even today if one drives around Colombo it is common sight to see the many stalls that have sprung up on the way side selling ready made skeletons in different shapes and sizes.

All one has to is buy them and cover up with tissue paper using ones own imagination to create one own Wesak lantern. The completed ones too are available making things even easier for the busy bodies of Colombo. But it must be said that the fun of actually creating ones own lantern out of scratch is lost in the process.

The old time 'Papier Mache' masks are also a thing of the past. if one looks around one will find the many plastic masks that has been imported from other asian countries sitting in mass to be sold. In fact the older masks were moulded using local characteristic features from folk tales but it is all Batman, Spiderman or characters which are quite alien to us that are found in the market today.

Well! the most integral part of the event which is celebrating the message of the noble Buddha stands intact. the religious factor still remains awesomely celebrated in all corners of the country, giving Wesak its true meaning and making it prevail for a long time to come.

Featured here are some of the photographs from our library at ANCL as captured by many of our staff photographers during Wesak celebrations in the past years, showing the true spirit of this much revered festival.

 

Bamboo is a popular raw materiel too

Lanterns and the buddhist flags will adorn the streets during the festivities

Lanterns are created using different types of materials too, specially when competitions are held

 

Playful plastic masks