Sri Lanka News
As with many similar Asian traditions of culture, Sri Lankan grooms and brides change into different types of dress at the conclusion of the reception. Like in the British tradition, this change of Sri Lankan bridal dress is named the going away dress, which is worn when the wedded couple are about to exit to their Toronto honeymoon. The Sri Lankan bridal dress is much more formal than the western tradition of dress, not unlike the bridal clothing, but can be of different colors and styles. This practice of changing the bridal dress to the going away clothing spans almost all Sri Lankan religions and cultures.
Sri Lankan Traditional Sari
There are four traditional silk saris worn during a Toronto Sri Lankan wedding. The first is worn at the ceremony of thalee, and features red and yellow colors, with a wide border. The second is worn following the marriage ceremony, and is known as Innaik Koorai, which features rose, yellow or muskat colors. The sari worn to the official Toronto ceremony of marriage registration is the third one, and his family pays these three saris on behalf of the groom.
The final Sri Lankan bridal dress sari is paid foe by the bride herself and is worn to the arrival ceremony of the wedding day’s wedding stage. The bride’s family also pays for a silk set of Salvai and Vesti to present at the wedding stage, for wearing at the marriage registration, which are a shirt and trouser for the groom. The groom presents the silk sari to the bride, as well with further traditional items following the pooja stage of the ceremony. This happens in between the changing of this Sri Lankan bridal dress sari for the ceremony of thalee wearing.
Along with the bride’s attire (sari), there also includes a headpiece or veil, accessories such as gloves, under slips and shoes. Further accompaniments include the bridal jewelry and the bridal dressing, which includes makeup and hair. This is repeated for the going away and homecoming ceremonies. The bridesmaids and flower girls also receive wedding Sri Lankan bridal dress saris, along with all the accessories, makeup and hair, and jewelry.
Bridegroom Marriage Dress
The bridegroom selects appropriate wedding attire for him and the male ceremony party, including the best men and Paige boys, for the various ceremonies. The wedding assistants at the Toronto wedding hall or temple also get offered with wedding attire, as are the traditional Toronto ceremony musicians.
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Adam’s Peak is one of the most recognisable places in Sri Lanka, yet many people are not aware of the island’s famous mountain until they visit it for themselves on their Sri Lanka holidays.
The mountain is held in sacrosanct by followers of four religions: Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims. However, long before any of these religions appeared on the island, the mountain was worshipped by the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, the Veddas. They named the peak Samanala Kanda after one of the island’s four deities. Hindus also have a different name for the peak and call it Sivan Adi Padham
The large footprint is five foot seven inches by two foot six inches wide, but Buddhists believe that the original footprint is even larger and was left by the Buddha on his third and final visit to Sri Lanka. If you are a follower of the Christian religion, then on your Sri Lanka holidays, you’ll most probably hear the story of St. Thomas, who brought Christianity to the island. However, the mountain gets that name “Adam” from the Islamic belief that he stood for a thousand years on one foot as penance. The Islamic tradition tells how, when Adam was expelled from heaven, God put him on the peak to make the shock less terrible. This is because Ceylon was believed to the place on earth that most resembled heaven, with Adam’s Peak being the closest spot on earth to heaven.
On your Sri Lanka holidays you may want to take a boat trip around the peak as the mountain is most impressive when viewed from the sea. Marco Polo was among one of the explorers who visited. Early Arab seafarers who spotted the peak, described it as the largest mountain in the world. However, the peak is not even the largest in Sri Lanka.
If you want to hike around the island, then the best time to visit is from December to May. This time is popular with pilgrims and gets busiest in the winter months of January and February. The trek takes about four hours and although it is possible to climb Adam’s Peak from June to November, mist and rain make the climb much less appealing. When climbing the mountain on your Sri Lanka holidays you will spot hundreds of beautifully coloured butterflies on your climb, which have earnt Adam’s Peak its nickname, Samanalakande or butterfly mountain. Once you’ve reached the top, you will notice a small Buddhist temple and the shrine of the strange footprint. It is customary to make offerings here and small coils of silver are offered by those wanting to recover from sickness. Rainwater that falls in the footprint is also said to have special healing properties.
Your Sri Lanka holidays just won’t be complete without taking a visit to Adam’s Peak and after spending time on the spectacular mountain, you’ll understand just why the Islamic tale describes it as the closest place on earth to heaven.