we are spending christmas in sri lanka and were wondering whether there is any part that is more likely to have christmas celebrations etc. anyone hae any ideas of where to go?
2
maxhesh
The coastal belt from say, Moratuwa just south of Colombo, to Chilaw, north of Colombo has a large Catholic population, and as a result, Christmas is celebrated on a pretty grand scale in those parts. Colombo will have lots of decorations up, especially in the shopping centres, and the bigger hotels will have special Christmas menus, but if you're looking for authentic Sri Lankan Christmas traditions and celebrations, as opposed to a bastardized, commercialized version imported from the West, your best bet is to look around Negombo and the surrounding towns up and down the coast.
3
wadiwadiman
I spent Christmas 2005 in Negombo - fantastic. I went to Midnight Mass at the Church close to Silver Sands Hotel with a Catholic family I have got to know - it was amazing. It was an outdoor service with about 600 people attending and it ended about 1:15 - then the fireworks started.
Everyone put up Christmas Trees on Christmas Eve, like an old fashioned Christmas. Groups of teenage boys went from place to place singing carols and collecting donations for charity - something I cannot quite imagine happening in England!
Another group of boys set up a tableaux on the pavement by the church with the stable and figures of the crib scene, beautifully done - they looked after it but later it was left unguarded and nobody touched anything for the next few days. The big hotels do Christmas dinners, the bars are lively, in fact you can celebrate how you want. The locals all go to church again on Christmas morning with new clothes on. After that the day is spent visiting friends and family (or relaxing on the beach or whatever.)
The shops are crammed with Christmas decorations, especially inflatable Santas and cards. It is a great experience and I hope you end up in Negombo.
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