Are we all that unique?
Say, compared to other South Asian nationalities?
How would we define our culture? Is it still evolving? Is it moving in a particular direction? Is it something uniform among ourselves?
Sri Lankans like to believe we have a unique culture. Can we continue to claim that it is? May be we had. It is now a pickle. We can live in the past as regards to art (Sigiriya and a few others), the remaining customs constantly eroding away, the language is being killed off, ignorant of the beauty of the Sri Lankan literature and worshipping the West, the media is hammering in the last nail, cricket in the name of sport is suffocating alternatives,...
Long ago, people moulded their lives around the seasons. Life was so tranquil. People had time for each other, to celebrate, to meet, to greet, for concord. There were, and still are many national and local celebrations still left and practiced in the country. I like to cover a few, based on my own experiences.
One could argue that the traditions are being enhanced by foreign influences, while on the other hand they are being suffocated.
I like to address these issues here. Hopefully you may agree with my analyses. Perhaps not. Let us hear if don't!