Navam Maha Perahera:

Preserving Lanka's rich cultural heritage

By Anuradha KODAGODA

The Navam Maha Perahera, a colourful and bright pageant, which is held annually in February, displays the rich, religious and cultural tradition of Sri Lanka. Every year in February thousands of people mass the country's metropolis as the streets of Colombo give way to a grand pageant that combines dance, culture and splendour.

This annual event is one of the most important religious and cultural events in the country. The heavily decorated elephants are the major attractions here with the parades and performances.

Millions of people witness this spectacle every year including more than 10,000 tourists who lands in Colombo during this event. It is celebrated in the full moon day of the month of February. The highlight of this festival is the colourful elephant pageant when the streets of Colombo transform with the display of the highest number of decorated elephants.

The Gangaramaya Temple, at Hunupitiya by the Beira Lake is the venue where all the action takes place. The perahera revives the ancient cultural forms drawing dancing troupes from all parts of the country and provides an occasion to display a rich tradtion.

The inaugural parade is attended by over 1,000 performers and schoolchildren who wave colourful flags on the way. Giving a befitting company to the procession, there is percussion bands, conch shell blowers, stilt-walkers, flautists and drummers who fill the air with the sound and music.

Navam perahara was first held in 1979 and thereafter the pageant took place continuously for the past four decades.

The beneficiaries of events such as these are the traditional dance troupes, who now enjoy a revival of interest in their dance and forms of entertainment. The perehera thus has a direct relevance to the preservation of our ancient cultural heritage. The entire organisation of the perahera is handled by the young people associated with the "Gangaramaya' Temple.

In the Buddhist world, Navam Perahara is one of the best cultural events which holds a Colourful, cultural pageant.

As a tradition, the main elephant carrying a casket containing relics is flanked by two junior elephants at the pageant and the traditional drummers perform during the Buddhist procession at Gangarama temple.

Navam Maha Perahera is similar to the famous Kandy Perahera festival and this colourful and exotic Sri Lankan festival is officially inaugurated when the sacred relics are paraded in a gilded casket placed on a majestic tusker, which is elegantly caparisoned and walks calmly amidst the hive of activity.

Every year the contributions received for the Nawam Perahara are diverted to facilitate various needs of people in the country such as assisting people who are affected by various natural disasters (floods/cyclones/landslides/Tsunami) and for the people who have been attacked by the terrorists during the war period.

This year Navam Perahara will be held on February 6 and 7 from 7 pm.