Every culture has its own traditions and rituals. That’s what makes each culture unique. That’s what makes them fit the definition of culture. There are some very well-known traditions from each culture. But some common traditions are not known by people outside the particular culture. Today I’ll be introducing you to four Sinhala Traditions that aren’t known by many outside the culture.
Indul kata gama (ඉඳුල් කට ගෑම)
This tradition is one of the first few traditions a baby experiences in her life. It takes place when the baby is about 1-year-old. The parents prepare milk rice, and various Sinhala sweets on this day, and they dress the baby up with a comfortable but traditional outfit. They set her on the floor in the middle of a room, and place various things such as books, electronics, food, jewelry, money, etc, on the floor around her. (Basically, these items are things that are related to a future potential career or lifestyle) They wait until something catches the baby’s eye, and the first thing she grabs is said to be related to her future in some way. Then the baby and the parents enjoy the sweets they prepared. From my personal experience, the accuracy of this is debatable, as, during my ceremony, I chose an item I ended up being allergic to! Nevertheless, this is a fun and interesting tradition, as the baby sees lots of new things around her for the first time and hence is very amused. This tradition exists in many other Asian countries: China in the name of Zhuā Zhōu, Korea in the name of Doljanchi and Vietnam in the name of Thôi Nôi. This ritual is known in western countries as the birthday grab and is performed mainly by Buddhist families.
Ear piercing ceremony (කන විදීම)
This tradition might bring doubts to some minds, but we do get our ears pierced when we’re babies! This tradition is not as ceremonious as most traditions, but this is considered an important milestone in a baby’s life. The chances of the baby remembering the pain are also lower if it's done early. There are many places, such as hospitals and jewelry shops where you can get your ears pierced, and usually, before the baby’s first birthday, her parents take her to one such place. No prior preparations take place as this is not ceremonious. A slice of lime is kept under the baby’s earlobe as it’s said to reduce the pain, and the earlobe is pierced with a sterilized needle. In my case, my grandma pierces my ears and she, with my mom, also took me to a temple afterward to get blessings.
Akuru kiyaweema/liweema (අකුරු කියවීම)
This tradition is possibly the most important tradition of a child’s life. This ritual marks the beginning of the child’s reading and writing. In the past, a scholar in the area guided the child to read the first word/letter, and someone with beautiful handwriting guided her to write. The ritual was held at a temple or another religious institute. Nowadays, it is done at home by a parent, grandparent, or another family member. This ritual, just like “indul kata gama” is celebrated afterward with milk rice, and sweets. It is said that the child should not learn how to read before the ritual, but the reasons are unclear. This is an important tradition as this is the beginning of the child’s education. In my case, my mom guided me to write my first letter and my dad guided me to read. My dad also guided my cousin’s first reading, which is an example of the ritual being done by a family member who’s not a parent or a grandparent.
First menstruation (මල්වර වීම)
The last tradition we're going to talk about is in fact done when the child is a preteen or when she’s in her early teens. The first menstruation marks the beginning of womanhood of the girl and hence is celebrated. In fact, it’s celebrated in many Asian countries. In Sri Lanka, the girl is isolated for a few days, and on the final day, she’s dressed in a white cloth and showered by her mother or another elder female relative at an auspicious time. Then she’s dressed up in a dress of a specific color (which depends on her horoscope) and new gold jewelry, and a few rituals such as putting off candles by clapping, looking at herself face through a basin of water, and getting blessings from her parents are done. As usual, this is also celebrated with sweets, and sometimes even friends and other family members are invited to celebrate afterward.
Comments
Post a Comment