Sri Lanka's Independence Day, also called Sri Lanka's National Day, is a national holiday of Sri Lanka celebrated annually on February 4 to mark the country's political independence from British rule in 1948. It is celebrated all over the country through a flag-raising ceremony, dances, parades and performances. The main celebration usually takes place in the capital city of Colombo, where the president waves the national flag and delivers a national television speech. The main celebration takes place in the center of Colombo at the Navam Perahera Festival where the traditional art performances of Sri Lanka are held.
In the history of Sri Lanka many struggles have taken place and on Independence Day all of these are remembered and celebrated. But the independence movement against the British is especially mentioned.
In the President's speech, he emphasizes the achievements of the government over the past year, raises important issues and calls for the further development of the country. As a tribute to the national heroes of Sri Lanka who fought and gave their lives for the country, the President is holding two minutes of silence in their memory.
The Sri Lankans are celebrating their Independence Day with great pride. In many places of worship around the country, religious prayers and ceremonies are held for peace and prosperity for the country, the people and the forces of the army, the police and the civil defense. The national media tries to promote ideas like heroism, security, dedication, national unity, patriotism, nationalism, peace, national responsibility and awareness of national history in people’s minds.
In honor of Sri Lanka's Independence Day, here are some interesting facts about it:
Sri Lanka is an island nation located southeast of India in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka is also known as the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean" and the "tear of India". These beautiful names were given to it both because of its amazing natural beauty, the extraordinary biodiversity and precious gems that are in it, and also because the island has the shape of a tear and when looking at the map it looks like the island is a drop of tear flowing under India.
Sri Lanka is home to the oldest tree in the world planted by humans. The oldest tree planted by man is in Anuradhapura, one of the oldest cities in Sri Lanka and the world. This is a 2,300-year-old sacred ficus tree called Jahah Sri Maa Bodhi. The tree was planted in 236 BC. His mother tree is the famous Buddha tree in Bod Gaia in India under which Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating.
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| Jetavanaramaya Stupa, an ancient structure built in the third century AD and located in Anauradapura |
In Sri Lanka a large variety of animals
Sri Lanka covers an area of only 65,610 square kilometers and has a very large variety of wildlife. The island is home to 123 species of mammals (such as elephants, tigers and crocodiles), 227 species of birds, 178 species of Reptiles, 122 species of amphibians, and many other species of other animals.
For wildlife enthusiasts, Yala National Park is a must-visit on a trip to Sri Lanka. For travelers interested in whales, it is advisable to take a walk in Mirissa or Trincomalee.
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| Elephants in the wild in Sri Lanka |
Tea is one of the main agricultural industries in Sri Lanka. If you drink tea, it may have come from Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, and it has tea in its name, Ceylon tea.
Sri Lanka is home to cinnamon. Sri Lanka is famous for its cinnamon, a necessary ingredient for many of its wonderful dishes. The Ceylonese cinnamon, also called "real cinnamon", originates in Sri Lanka and today the country is still a leading exporter of cinnamon in the world.
Adam's Peak is the holiest mountain in the country. The mountain is part of the Samanella mountain range in southern Sri Lanka. It has been a place of pilgrimage for believers from different religions in Sri Lanka for over a thousand years. In Buddhism the summit of the mountain is called Sri Fada, meaning a sacred footprint, and they believe that the Buddha remained there when he ascended to heaven. For the Hindus this is the footprint of Lord Shiva. When asked by Christians and Muslims, they say that this is the footprint of a person when he was expelled from heaven.
Sri Lanka gave the word "Serendipity" to the English language. The word serendipity is derived from the word "serendip", the old name of Sri Lanka so named by the Arabs and Persians. The word, invented by the English writer Horace Walpole in 1754, was based on a Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip", in which the princes "always made discoveries, by accident and mistake, of things they did not seek at all." August 18th is Serendipity Day.
The national flag of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest flags in the world. The Sri Lankan flag, also known as the lion flag, is considered one of the oldest in the world, dating back to 162 BC. It is also considered to be the only flag in the world that recognizes different religious beliefs, with the leaves in it representing Buddhism, the orange stripe standing behind Hinduism and the green one representing Islam.
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| Sri Lankan flag |
One of the Buddha's teeth is located at the Tooth Temple in Kandy. A relic from the teeth of the Holy Buddha, brought from India in the 4th century AD, is still preserved in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. Every summer there is a glorious festival known as Esala Perahera (Dental Festival), and it is one of the seven best festivals in Sri Lanka, designed to honor the tooth.
This is the first country in the world to have had a female prime minister. In July 1960, Sirimabu Bandarnaika, the leader of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party, won the general election and became the first prime minister in the world. She served the country for three terms before resigning in August 2000 due to health issues. At the age of 84, Sirimabu Bendernaika died of a heart attack.
This is where the locals shake their heads to say yes. In most cultures, to show consent, people nod their heads up and down and to say no, they shake their heads left and right. This is not the case in Sri Lanka. To say yes, people shake their heads from side to side. It can be confusing for foreign visitors, but they will get used to it.
The word "Hotel" does not necessarily mean a hotel. If you travel around Sri Lanka, you may see signs that say "Hotel", but it is very possible that they do not mean places where you can stay at night, as the word also means restaurants, cafes and bars that are so named. The exact reason for this is unknown. If you ask the locals, they will probably say it's just a cool thing to do. This can be misleading. So to find out if this is a hotel or restaurant, you will need to check if the place serves food or there is an option to sleep in it at night.
Volleyball is the national sport of Sri Lanka. Although the most popular sport in the country is cricket, volleyball has become its national sport. Sri Lanka introduced the game in 1916 and it gained immense popularity within a few years. In 1951 the Volleyball Association was established and was officially declared the National Game of Sri Lanka in 1991.
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