Perahera (Parade) in Kandy
We were in Kandy during part of the 10 day festival during the August Poya (full moon). (Poya days are Buddhist holidays and in Sri Lanka many people have the day off work. No alcohol is served on these days.) The Kandy festival honours the sacred tooth of the Buddha that resides in Kandy and involves ten nights of elaborate parades, with the final parade coinciding with the full moon. The parade route grows and the parade itself becomes more elaborate each night.
We saw the Perahera on the ninth night and it was absolutely amazing! It was about three hours in length, and featured approximately 2000 participants including drummers, dancers, guys with whips, flag bearers, guys on stilts, fire dancers, and torch carriers, as well as over 100 elephants dressed up in the most elaborate costumes and lights.
Link to Rob's description of the Perahera. Link to Rob's photos of the Perahera.
Laura read in her guidebook that the Perahera is actually five parades in one, with four of the five parades organized by each of the local temples, the most elaborate parade is the one that is hosted by the temple that houses the scared tooth. A special elephant is chosen to carry the tooth throughout the streets. Laura tells us that this elephant must have seven points of contact with the ground (!)
Women participated in only about the last 20 minutes of the parade, and there were only a few female dancers. Laura later read that one of the four temples was affiliated with a goddess, which is why women only participated in that part of the parade.
The most amazing thing about the Perahera is the number of people who attend – Ranjit estimated that there were half a million people there! People arrive early and sit for ten hours (or longer) to secure a good seat on the parade route. Seats along the route can also be purchased from local businesses – most for about $40 US which is completely outrageous in Sri Lankian terms. (For example, all four of us stayed in a bed and breakfast during the Perahera for $50 US per night.) Luckily Rob and Ranjit were able to secure us good seats on a jeweler’s Balcony for only $10. We had an excellent view of the parade and were not susceptible to the ash following from the torches, the gallons of elephant pee that ran down the gutters between the sidewalks and the road, or the elephant poop which was unceremoniously pushed towards the crowds. I also felt safer knowing that we could not be trampled by elephants (which has happened during the Perahera) or by other people.
Unfortunately I developed a cold, which quickly turned into a chest cold our first day in Kandy. (My asthma combine with the pollution makes me very susceptible to chest infections.) The smoke from the parade torches further aggravated my lungs and by the end of the parade I felt horrible. I kept thinking of a phrase my grandfather, convinced to go on tropical holidays under duress, would say when he would catch a cold – “I will be leaving this island in a wooden box!” Even though I was ill, I was ever so glad that I went, as seeing the Perahera in Kandy is a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed!
We saw the Perahera on the ninth night and it was absolutely amazing! It was about three hours in length, and featured approximately 2000 participants including drummers, dancers, guys with whips, flag bearers, guys on stilts, fire dancers, and torch carriers, as well as over 100 elephants dressed up in the most elaborate costumes and lights.
Link to Rob's description of the Perahera. Link to Rob's photos of the Perahera.
Laura read in her guidebook that the Perahera is actually five parades in one, with four of the five parades organized by each of the local temples, the most elaborate parade is the one that is hosted by the temple that houses the scared tooth. A special elephant is chosen to carry the tooth throughout the streets. Laura tells us that this elephant must have seven points of contact with the ground (!)
Women participated in only about the last 20 minutes of the parade, and there were only a few female dancers. Laura later read that one of the four temples was affiliated with a goddess, which is why women only participated in that part of the parade.
The most amazing thing about the Perahera is the number of people who attend – Ranjit estimated that there were half a million people there! People arrive early and sit for ten hours (or longer) to secure a good seat on the parade route. Seats along the route can also be purchased from local businesses – most for about $40 US which is completely outrageous in Sri Lankian terms. (For example, all four of us stayed in a bed and breakfast during the Perahera for $50 US per night.) Luckily Rob and Ranjit were able to secure us good seats on a jeweler’s Balcony for only $10. We had an excellent view of the parade and were not susceptible to the ash following from the torches, the gallons of elephant pee that ran down the gutters between the sidewalks and the road, or the elephant poop which was unceremoniously pushed towards the crowds. I also felt safer knowing that we could not be trampled by elephants (which has happened during the Perahera) or by other people.
Unfortunately I developed a cold, which quickly turned into a chest cold our first day in Kandy. (My asthma combine with the pollution makes me very susceptible to chest infections.) The smoke from the parade torches further aggravated my lungs and by the end of the parade I felt horrible. I kept thinking of a phrase my grandfather, convinced to go on tropical holidays under duress, would say when he would catch a cold – “I will be leaving this island in a wooden box!” Even though I was ill, I was ever so glad that I went, as seeing the Perahera in Kandy is a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed!
posted by ~chill~ at
4:35 AM
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