Perahera Days

Finally - has taken me ages to log on. Had no problems checking my mail, but for some reason my blog took ages to download. At least I have internet access, though.

The Perahera is in full swing and it looks like I might end up going every night. I had thought about taking tonight off as I've been for the past two nights, but the woman who runs the children's home that I'm staying at asked me if I'd accompany a Canadian friend of hers tonight. Although it get's very crowded I've really enjoyed being at the parade taking in the amazing atmosphere. It's been quite an amazing spectacle and according to locals I've spoken to it just gets better. If you can imagine thousands of dancers and musicians and around a hundred elephants all dressed up (some are even covered in lights), you'd get some idea of what the Perahera is. I'm not sure of the exact origins of the festival, but the raison d'etre is a chance for people to see the casket containing one of the Buddha's teeth, which is usually kept at the Dalada Maligawa Temple - considered the holiest Buddhist site in Sri Lanka. It's a copy of the casket that's now paraded around the city, but there's still a lot of reverance. This morning I went to the temple for the morning puja, or ceremony, where the actual casket is on view. The whole ceremony had a very Hindu feel to it and I was reminded very much of the Hindu concept of darshan, or viewing a holy object. I think the religious nature of Kandy and the number of shrines and temples around the city is what reminds me of Kathmandu.

This morning I went for a wander around the four devales, or god-houses. As well as the Dalada Maligawa Temple the four devales also participate in the Perahera and in each of the devales there are a number of elephants being housed during the festival. It's quite strange to walk into a small temple and see 4 or 5 elephantsin the courtyard. Apparently as the festival draws to a climax there are more and more elephants involved in the parade. I feel sad that the elephants are chained up most of the time, but I suppose that elephants have always been considered working animals here in Sri Lanka and there is a certain amount of religious reverence as well as elephants are considered holy in Buddhism. It's just so hard seeing such big animals in such confined spaces.

Will post again before I leave on Saturday, so please keep reading. Time for lunch now! Have found some great local places with rice and curry on a banana leaf for less than $1.