If you're planning to visit Sri Lanka recently, I recommend that you plan it in May. Why you may ask, well it's because of the Vesak festival that this country celebrates annually. If you're coming to experience the culture and the heritage of Sri Lanka,then May is the month for you.
The Vesak day is celebrated on the full moon day of May by Buddhists from all around the world to mark the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, Siddharta Gautam’s supreme attainment as the Buddha and Lord Buddha’s Parinibbana(Death).
Almost overnight, the city of Colombo turns into a glamorous city filled with millions of lights, lanterns, 'Thoranas'(Pandals) and 'Dansal'(free food stalls). It's a truly amazing sight to witness as the streets get filled with people and when you're travelling on the road you will see generous Sri Lankans waving Buddhist flags in front of your vehicle. This signifies that they want you to stop at their free food stall and enjoy whatever that they have to offer.
Most common free food stalls are Rice stalls - which gives you a whole meal for free, soft drink stalls, tea stalls, Short-Eat stalls, Sago stalls and many more. Regardless that you might have to wait in a long queue to get your free food from the stall, it will be truly an amazing memory for everyone.
Another special sight are the Thoranas all around Colombo. Thoranas' are pandals which mostly represents significant parts of Buddhas' early life. Even though most of those pandals are narrated in Sinhala, you will always find a local who would be more than delighted to translate them for you to English.
And trust me that you won't be able to forget the sight of twinkling stars and sparkling tiny bulbs once you witness it here in Colombo. I recommend that you visit the Gangaramaya Vesak Zone since that is one of the best Vesak Zones that Colombo has to offer. You will find directions here.
