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Vesak in Colombo: lanterns, dansal and a city that stays up late
The full moon of May is the holiest day in the Buddhist year, and Colombo celebrates it in the street. What the festival marks and how to see the best of it.
Vesak falls on the full moon of May, and sometimes spills into June. It marks the three great events of the Buddha’s life, his birth, his enlightenment and his passing, which tradition places on the same day of the year. For Sri Lanka’s Buddhists it is the most important date in the calendar, and it is a two-day public holiday. For a visitor, it is the one festival that turns the whole of Colombo into something to walk through after dark.
The lanterns
In the days before Vesak the city fills with lanterns, vesak kudu, made from bamboo strips and coloured paper. Some are the size of a hand and hang in rows outside homes; others are the size of a room, built by neighbourhoods and lit from inside. The big ones go up at Galle Face Green, along Nawam Mawatha beside Beira Lake, and around Gangaramaya Temple, and there are competitions for the best. The pandals, thoran, are larger still: huge illuminated panels telling stories from the Buddha’s previous lives, with recorded narration and thousands of bulbs.
The dansal
Vesak is also the festival of giving, and the way Colombo gives is food. Dansal are free food stalls run by families, temples and businesses, offering rice and curry, ice cream, soft drinks or coffee to anyone who queues. You will see people passing drinks through the windows of passing buses. Join a queue; it is meant for you too.
How to see it
Go out after seven in the evening and walk. The lake circuit from Gangaramaya past Seema Malaka, the temple on the water, and along Nawam Mawatha is the classic route and is about fifteen minutes from the hotel by tuk-tuk. Wear white if you would like to, cover your shoulders and knees at the temples, and remove shoes and hats before you enter. Traffic is heavy and the crowds are large but calm; a metered tuk-tuk or PickMe will get you back.
One thing to know
Vesak is a Poya day, a full-moon holiday, and no alcohol is sold or served in Sri Lanka on Poya days. Cloud Café & Bar and Amber Poolside are open as usual for food, and it is a good evening for a long dinner. What to pack covers temple dress in more detail.
