Esala Festival

Esala Festival in Sri Lanka is normally held in the month of July/August. During this time many religious festivals and celebrations are held in different parts of the island. Specifically for the Esala Festival, colorful processions are taken out for several nights in Kandy, Kataragama, Kotte and Devinuvara. Processions are held in other places as well. The Festival of the August Moon or Kandy Perahera held in Kandy for ten nights is the biggest of all these festivals. In the Hindu shrines Vel festivals are held during this time.
Esala Perahera is the most grand of all the Esala festivals in Sri Lanka. This festival is so grand that the processions themselves capture all the attention. Elegant costumes are a highlight of the festival. Taking place in July or August in Kandy, it has become one of the distinguishing features of Sri Lankan culture. Esala Festival is a Buddhist festival that involves ritual dances with highly decorated elephants. Other features of this festival are fire dances, whip dances, Kandian dances and cultural dances. The elephants are decorated and adorned with lavish garments. The festival comes to an end with the traditional “diya kepeema”.

Esala Festival in Kandy is believed to be a fusion of two different but interrelated processions. They are known as Esala and Dalada. The Esala Perahera is centuries old, it dates back at least to 3rd century BC and was a ritual to pray to the gods for rains. Dalada Perahera on the other hand, is thought to have begun when the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka during the 4th Century AD from India. The joyousness connected with the festival is really something. Both the young people and the old people enjoy the dances and the processions to their heart’s content. This festival adds much to the religious and cultural calendar of the country. In fact people look forward towards this festival for the whole year.