Kandy's annual Esala Perahera, the grandest
Perehara (Buddhist street carnival) in the island,
will be held this year from 07th to 16th August 2008.
The Perehara invokes the blessings of the gods to
give the farmers rain to cultivate their crops. The
sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, guarded for centuries
within the Temple of the Tooth, is paraded through
the city streets with great pomp and ceremony.
The event starts with a Kap Planting Ceremony (planting
the holy stick) followed by five days of Kumbal Perahera,
which sees a gradual increase in the procession's
splendour as distances and the number of dancers,
drummers and elephants are increased. The grand Randoli
Perehera follows for three days. On the final day
the ceremony starts in the afternoon and ends in Getembe,
near Peradeniya, where the Water Cutting Ceremony
takes place.
The final confirmed dates are
07th Aug to 11th Aug – (05 days – Kumbal
Perahera)
12th Aug to 16th Aug – (05 days – Randolhi
Perahera)
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