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Theculture of Sri Lanka mixes modern elements with traditional aspects and is known for its regional diversity. Sri Lankan culture has long been influenced by the heritage ofTheravada Buddhism and the religion's legacy is particularly strong in Sri Lanka below the northern region.South Indian cultural influences are especially pronounced in the northernmost reaches of the country. The history of colonial occupation has also left a mark on Sri Lanka's identity, withPortuguese,Dutch, andBritish elements having intermingled with various traditional facets of Sri Lankan culture. Culturally, Sri Lanka possesses strong links to both India and Southeast Asia.^[1] For over 5000 years, India and Sri Lanka have nurtured a legacy of historical, cultural, religious, spiritual, and linguistic connections.

The country has a rich artistic tradition, with distinct creative forms that encompassmusic,dance, and thevisual arts. Sri Lankan culture is internationally associated withcricket, a distinctcuisine, an indigenousholistic medicine practice, religious iconography such as theBuddhist flag, and exports such as tea,cinnamon, andgemstones, as well as a robust tourism industry. Sri Lanka has longstanding ties with theIndian subcontinent that can be traced back to prehistory. Sri Lanka's population is predominantlySinhalese with sizableSri Lankan Tamil,Sri Lankan Muslim,Indian Tamil,Sri Lankan Malay andBurgher minorities.^[2]

Sri Lanka was first inhabited byHomo sapiens who traversed the Indian Ocean about 125,000 years ago.^[3] Sri Lanka has a documented history of over 3,000 years, mainly due to ancient historic scriptures likeMahawamsa,^[4] and with the first stone objects dating back to 500,000 BCE.^[5] Several centuries of intermittent foreign influence has transformed Sri Lankan culture to its present form. Nevertheless, the ancient traditions and festivals are still celebrated on the island, together with other minorities that make up the Sri Lankan identity.

One very important aspect that differentiates Sri Lankan history is its view on women. Women and men in Sri Lanka have been viewed equal for thousands of years from ruling the country to how they dress. Both men and women had the chance to rule the land, which is true even in the modern day. The world's first female prime minister,Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was from Sri Lanka.

Even though clothing today is very much westernized and modest dressing has become the norm for everyone, ancient drawings and carvings such as 'Sigiriya art's,Isurumuniya Lovers show how the pre-colonial Sri Lankans used to dress, which shows identical amount of clothing and status for men and women.

The architecture of Sri Lanka displays a rich variety of architectural forms and styles.Buddhism had a significant influence on Sri Lankan architecture, since it was introduced to the island in 3rd CenturyBCE.^[6] Techniques and styles developed in India, China and later Europe, transported via colonialism, have also played a major role in the architecture of Sri Lanka.^[7]

Many forms of Sri Lankan arts and crafts take inspiration from the Island's long and lastingBuddhist culture which in turn has absorbed and adopted countless regional and local traditions. In most instances Sri Lankan art originates from religious beliefs, and is represented in many forms such as painting, sculpture, and architecture. One of the most notable aspects of Sri Lankan art are caves and temple paintings, such as the frescoes found atSigiriya, and religious paintings found in temples inDambulla andTemple of the Tooth Relic inKandy. Other popular forms of art have been influenced by both natives as well as foreign settlers. For example, traditional wooden handicrafts and clay pottery are found around the hilly regions while Portuguese-inspired lacework and Indonesian-inspiredBatik are also notable.

Sri Lanka is home to a variety of dance styles including classical, folk and dance drama, such as Kandyan dancing. Sri Lanka has 3 main endemic dance styles. They are named asUdarata (Endemic to Kandy),Pahatharata (Endemic to the Southern Areas) andSabaragamu which is endemic to the districts of Kegalle and Rathnapura which are situated in the province of Sabaragamuwa.

The two single biggest influences on Sri Lankan music are fromBuddhism andPortuguese colonizers. Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka afterEmperor Ashoka and his children propagated the religion to Sri Lanka, while the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century, bringing with them cantigaballads, theukulele, and guitars, along with African slaves, who further diversified the musical roots of the island. These slaves were calledkaffrinha, and their dance music was calledbaila. Traditional Sri Lankan music includes the hypnotic Kandyan drums- drumming was and is very much a part of music in both Buddhist and Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. Most western parts of Sri Lanka follow western dancing and music.

The movieKadawunu Poronduwa (The broken promise), produced byS. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone, heralded the coming of Sri Lankan cinema in 1947.Ranmuthu Duwa (Island of treasures, 1962) marked the transition cinema fromblack-and-white to color. In recent years, Sri Lankan cinema has featured subjects such as familymelodrama, social transformation, and the years ofconflict between themilitary and theLTTE. Their cinematic style is similar toBollywood movies. In 1979, movie attendance rose to an all-time high, but a gradual decline has been recorded since then. Undoubtedly, the most influential and revolutionary filmmaker in the history of Sri Lankan cinema isLester James Peiris, who has directed a number of movies which received global acclaim, includingRekava (Line of destiny, 1956),Gamperaliya (The changing village, 1964),Nidhanaya (The treasure, 1970), andGolu Hadawatha (Cold Heart, 1968.)There are many cinemas in the city areas.

The cuisine of Sri Lanka is primarily influenced by that ofSouthern India,Indonesia and theNetherlands.^[8] Rice is astaple and usually consumed daily, and it can be found at any special occasion, while spicy curries are favourite dishes for lunch and dinner. A very popular alcoholic drink istoddy orarrack, both made from palm tree sap. Rice and curry refers to a range of Sri Lankan dishes. Sri Lankans also eathoppers (Aappa, Aappam,) which can be found anywhere in Sri Lanka. More recently, there has been a rise of westernisedTamil chefs returning toColombo, including the now famousJanakan Gnananandan who spent his early years training in South London'sMichelin Star restaurants. This influx has given rise to a new breed ofSri Lankan andTamil cuisine that blends traditional spices with European fast food, such asRmammidan, meaninghot chips that has proven very popular with younger generations.^{[citation needed]}

Much of Sri Lanka's cuisine consists of boiled or steamed rice served with spicy curry. Another well-known rice dish iskiribath, meaningmilk rice. Curries in Sri Lanka are not just limited to meat or fish-based dishes, there are also vegetable and even fruit curries. A typical Sri Lankan meal consists of a "main curry" (fish, chicken, ormutton), as well as several other curries made with vegetable andlentils. Side-dishes includepickles,chutneys and "sambols" which can sometimes be fiery hot. The most famous of these is thecoconutsambol, made of scraped coconut mixed withchili peppers, dried Maldivian fish andlime juice. This is ground to a paste and eaten with rice, as it gives zest to the meal and is believed to increase appetite.

In addition to (sambols, Sri Lankans eat "(mallung", chopped leaves mixed with grated coconut andred onions.Coconut milk is found in most Sri Lankan dishes and it gives the cuisine its unique flavor.

Restaurants serving Indian and Chinese cuisine are popular and found throughout the country.^[9]

Sri Lanka has long been known for itsspices. The best known is cinnamon which is native to Sri Lanka. In the 15th and 16th centuries, spice and ivory traders from all over the world brought their native cuisines to the island, resulting in a rich diversity of cooking styles and techniques. Lamprais rice boiled in stock with a specialcurry, accompanied byfrikkadels (meatballs), all of which is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked as a Dutch-influenced Sri Lankan dish. Dutch and Portuguese sweets also continue to be popular. British influences includeroast beef androast chicken. Also, the influence of the Indian cooking methods and food have played a major role in what Sri Lankans eat.

Sri Lankans use spices liberally in their dishes and typically do not follow an exact recipe: thus, every cook's curry will taste slightly different. Furthermore, people from different regions of the island (for instance, hill-country dwellers versus coastal dwellers) traditionally cook in different ways. Sri Lankan cuisine is known to be among the world's spiciest, due to the high use of different varieties ofchili peppers referred to asamu miris (Green chilli),kochchi miris, andmaalu miris (capsicum) and in Tamil Milakaai, among others. It is generally accepted for tourists to request that the food is cooked with a lower chili content to cater for the more sensitive Western palette. Food cooked for public occasions typically uses less chili than food cooked at homes, where the food is cooked with the chili content preferable to the occupants.

Tea is served whenever a guest arrives, it is served at festivals and gatherings.^[10]

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TheSinhalese andTamil New Year ("Aluth Avurudhu" in Sinhala, "Puthandu" in Tamil) is a very large cultural event on the island. The festival takes place in April (also known as the month ofBak) when the sun moves from theMeena Rashi (House of Pisces) to theMesha Rashi (House of Aries).^[11] Unusually, both the end of one year and the beginning of the next occur not at midnight but at separate times determined by astrologers with a period of some hours between (the "nona gathe" or neutral period) being a time when one is expected to refrain from all types of work and instead engage solely in relaxing religious activities and traditional games. During the New Year festivities, both children and adults will often dress in traditional outfits. But the clothes must be washed and very clean because it should be pure.

* Public holiday, † Bank holiday, # Mercantile holidayAll full-moon days are Buddhist holidays referred to as Poya. The actual date on which a particular Poya day will fall changes every year.

TheBuddhist community of Sri Lanka observes Poya Days, once per month according to theLunar calendar. TheHindus andMuslims also observe their own holidays. Sri Lankans are considered to be very religious, with 99% of polled individuals saying religion is an important part of their daily lives.^[12] The history of the island has been involved with religion numerous times. There are manyBuddhist temples in Sri Lanka which date back to antiquity. In the middle of the temple, there is an old Boho tree. It is known that once Buddha had meditated here, so in honour of Buddha, people walk around the tree with pure water. After 4 rounds, they pour the water on the tree where Buddha meditated. When they walk around the tree, they pray. The trees are worshipped heavily. The religious preference of an area could be determined by the number of religious institutions in the area. The Northern and Eastern parts of the island have several notable Hindu temples due to the fact that the majority of the population living in these areas areTamil. Ethnic conflict has severely affected other communities living in these areas during the times of LTTE strife. Many churches can be found along the southern coastline because of formerRoman Catholic andProtestant colonial heritage. Buddhists reside in all parts of the island, but especially in the south, the upcountry, and the western seaboard. Buddhists are the largest religious group in Sri Lanka.^[13]

While theSinhalese people speakSinhala as their mother tongue, the Tamil people speakTamil. English is also widely spoken. Sinhala is spoken by about 17 million people in Sri Lanka, more than 14 million of whom are native speakers. About 24% of the total population speak Tamil. Both Tamil and Sinhala are official languages.^[13]

Sports plays a very important part in Sri Lankan culture. The most popular sport in Sri Lanka iscricket,^[14] and as such, there are many cricket fields scattered across the island for children and adults to play the sport.

Sri Lanka became the 8th Test playing nation and played their first Test match on 17–21 February 1982 against England. Since then, Sri Lanka became a force in international cricket, where they became the champions of1996 Cricket World Cup. Then in 2014, Sri Lanka won2014 ICC World Twenty20 as well. They also became six times champions ofAsia Cup. Sri Lankans holds several world records, including highest Test wicket taker, ODI wicket taker, T20I wicket taker, highest Test total.

Volleyball is the national game of Sri Lanka.^[15]

Birds hold a special place in Sri Lankan culture. Villagers maintain a nest at their home for homesparrows. Sparrows are believed to bring luck when residing in your home. The most popular bird in Sri Lanka is thepeacock, the sacred bird of the God Kataragama.^[16]

Gira Sandeshaya (Parrot Message), Hansa Sandeshaya (Swan message), Mayura Sandeshaya (Peacock Message), Salalihini Sandeshaya (Myna Message) are pieces of ancient literature.

There exist numerous stories about birds, society and people. Birds are considered to be sacred and local gods are believed to have travelled on them.

The King Ravana story involved a wooden air craft called Dandu Monara (Wooden Peacock), in which he flew to India to abduct Seetha causing a war among Rama and Rawana.

Ancient flags contained symbols of birds. some of them are,

• Two Swans FlagDalada Maligawa, Kandy
• Walapane Disawa Gangaramaya, Kandy
• Maha Vishnu Dewala Flag, Kandy

There are the arts and crafts focused on birds. and some of them are,

• Sewul Kodiya Kundasale Vihare, Kandy
• Kandyan Dress
• Birds inSandakada Pahana rock carving
• Ancient temple paintings
• A Special Brass Kendiya made in the shape of a bird used in marriage ceremonies

The National symbols withinSri Lanka and abroad, and these also represent the country's traditions, culture, history and geography. Thenational symbols of Sri Lanka are the national anthem, national flag, national emblem, national flower, national tree, national bird, national butterfly, national gemstone and national sport. They were picked up and officially announced at various times. There are also several other symbols that do not have official acknowledgment or announced as national symbols, but are considered as national symbols at the local level.^[17][18]

Tourist numbers are high in Sri Lanka- in March 2014 133,000 tourists visited.^[19]

As with any influx of tourism there are of course a number of negative influences that can arise. Sri Lanka's natural areas have, for instance, been affected by increased pollution with discharges into the sea and natural habitat loss, as well as the depletion of natural resources, which have arisen because of excessive water use in hotels, golf courses and swimming pools – which consume unnaturally large amounts of water. In response to this, theDepartment of Forest Conservation (Sri Lanka) and theDepartment of Wildlife Conservation (Sri Lanka) have instigated a number ofprotected areas of Sri Lanka – there are currently 32 forests under their protection – and in total – a little over 25% of the island is now a protected area. Emerging trends in the tourism industry in Sri Lanka points the way to tourists seeking more traditional experiences over conventional ideals such as tours and resorts. Consequently, these tourists seek out cheaper accommodation where they can be exposed to authentic villages and richer and more rustic experiences – this gives indigenous identities a chance to be preserved and not overtaken as tourism takes hold in the more remote areas, with Sri Lankan indigenous people taking their place as a part of the attraction for tourists and are thus protected and provided with support.^[19]

Part of Sri Lanka's post-conflict development process is to build on the ever-growing tourism industry – this has meant refurbishing hotels, building new hotels and the country-wide revival of traditional handicraft industries, as well as traditional cultural displays – such as traditionaldances of Sri Lanka, like theKandyan Dances (Uda Rata Natum), Low Country Dances (Pahatha Rata Natum), Devil Dance, and Folk Dances which are now a common sight in hotels and villages that are keen to entertain tourists with traditional and 'authentic' cultural displays. Because of this, much of the modernization of the tourist industry is taking place in and around the capitalColombo, with one-thirds of the estimated 9000 new hotel rooms being built in Sri Lanka in 2013, concentrated in the Colombo area.

This kind of construction comes at a cost though – with a number of environmental concerns – the most pressing of which isDeforestation in Sri Lanka. In the 1920s, the island was almost 50% (49%) covered by trees but by 2005 this number had already fallen by 20%. The most badly hit area is the northern tip of the island – largely due to pre-existing environmental protection schemes in the south of the island. This is not all because of tourism, but also because of making way for new developments – hotels and resorts, and much of Sri Lanka's forests have been removed to make way for agricultural land and plantations (especially tea plantations, which require a substantial amount of land) to provide fuel and timber. An area where excessive building of hotels has already caused problems is Yala – where there are serious concerns about too many visits of theYala National Park. Though a more positive side to the influx of tourists can be seen at theEsala Perahera festival inKandy – which has grown substantially in size over the years, incorporating colorful parades and processions into what was already one of Asia's most prolific religious festivals. Traditional cultural dress is also rising in popularity – with chic hotels using formalized versions of traditional costume for their hotel staff, and foreigners marrying in Sri Lanka are incorporating traditional dress codes into their wedding attire.^[20]

• Sri Lankan people
• Sri Lankan literature
• Henry Parker (author), British engineer who studied and compiled theoral tradition of Sri Lanka.

• von Schroeder, Ulrich. 1990.Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka. 752 pages with 1610 illustrations. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd.ISBN 962-7049-05-0
• von Schroeder, Ulrich. 1992.The Golden Age of Sculpture in Sri Lanka. [Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D. C., 1 November 1992 – 26 September 1993]. 160 pages with 64 illustrations. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd.ISBN 962-7049-06-9

Folklore studies

• Thompson, Stith; Roberts, Warren Everett (1960).Types of Indic Oral Tales: India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Academia Scientiarum Fennica.

• [1]
• Volume 1,Volume 2 andVolume 3 of "Village Folk-tales of Ceylon" by Henry Parker (Public Domain)
• Sri Lanka a cultural profile
• Sri Lanka culture

• Culture of Sri Lanka
• Culture of South Asia

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