Sri Lanka has never deprived of festivals and festivities of people made up of various racial and religious groups. There is a significant religious or cultural festival every month, rendering Sri Lanka one of the most festive and holiday-making nations.
The New Year's Sinhala-Tamil Festival in April is the country's largest cultural festival. The festival signals the start of the new year and the end of the season of harvest.
The New Year festival is one of the long-awaited festivals in the country with a long day's rest and a table full of sticky local specialties such as koki's.
The May Day of Full Moon Poya or Vesak is a religious festival of the highest importance in Sri Lanka when the Buddhists commemorate Lord Buddha's conception, liberation, and death. Sri Lankans of all religions are filled with Vesak decorations like pandals and lanterns and various makeshift Alpine houses which are on the roads offering food, drinks, desserts and main dishes.
The Esala festivals will take place in Kandy and Kataragama in August. The Kataragama Festival of Esala is a multi-religious festival, in which people walk by the fire and show their piety for Lord Kataragama with extreme self penance. The Kandy Esala Perahera or the Dalanda Perahera is the world's biggest cultural event, featuring the finest dances and music in Sri Lanka and the best-domesticated tuskers.
