Finest hours of February

The Navam Maha Perahera:

By Aditha Dissanayake

[email protected]

What a sight to behold. I wished I could have joined him. Standing inside the Viharamahadevi Park, dripping with sweat there was no need for scientists to tell the Ozone layer has mighty holes in it.(Why else would it be so hot?).

I wished someone would direct the spray of water gushing out of the hose in my direction too. Splash it onto my belly, behind my ears, on my nose... I would have closed my eyes and smiled with satisfaction in exactly the way he was smiling right now. I hoped the smile would last till the end of the night.

I hoped the events that would follow all this pampering would be just as satisfying as this cool shower at two thirty in the afternoon on Poya Day. Sirisena, his mahout, dismisses my worries. "He enjoys walking in the Perahera. He likes being dressed in all that splendour".

"There were forty-five of them this year" says Ginarathana Thero of the Gangaramaya temple. "Forty-five elephants and around 70 dancing troupes took part in this year's Nawam Perahera. The crowds turned up as they had always done in the past years. There were no disturbances and everything concluded peacefully".

Preparing for the night’s event AFP

Listen to the rhythm of the beating drums AFP

Initiated in 1979, the Nawam Perahera is surely one of the most colourful and prestigious Buddhist Cultural Pageants held annually in Colombo. Staged on the full moon poya day of every February this grand pageant is a revival of the country's ancient cultural heritage.

The sense of pride was evident on the faces of the performers of the Dance Troupes, as they prepared themselves for the night's event. "It is good to perform here at the Nawam Perahera every February" said one of the drummers who was busy repairing a broken strand of beads on his costume.

Ranging from kasa karayas (whip-crackers) who inaugurate the Perahera by cracking their whips in the air, school children carrying colourful flags including the national and the Buddhist flag, percussion bands, conch shell blowers, stilt-walkers, flautists, drummers and the usual parade of elephants brought from different parts of the island it is pleasant to know the Nawam Perahera will continue, come what may.

Talking of this year's Perahera Gordon Husband, a visitor from UK says "It was picture perfect".

The Nilames	Anticipation
Continuing ancient traditions	The next generation
Pix : Sudath Malaweera