The Burghers of Sri Lanka

The fourth largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka, the Burghers, descends from European and Sri Lankan mixed origins. Consisting mainly of European male colonists who intermarried with Sri Lankan women, the group’s origins span across a range of countries, but Dutch…

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Aik payali Garam Chai chaheyah (A cup of hot tea is required)

Every season has its own joys, colors and festivities, and humans associate various cultural norms and rituals with each one. When we think of Summer, cool and breezy towns/areas, cold drinks and light colors makes us feel cool and help us…

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Cricket in Sri Lanka – it’s not just a sport, it’s a way of life!

Cricket has always played a big role in my life. If you are Sri Lankan, whether or not you love the game, play the game or watch it, somehow cricket has the ability to get in the way of everyday…

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An arranged marriage to my rescue?

‘Like Christmas cake that is fresh up until the 25th but with each succeeding day becomes less appetizing and edible, women too lose their marital appeal as they pass the mid twenties mark’. You can’t argue with this old Japanese…

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A Nepali meaning of family: A source of identity and existence

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in…” What a beautiful poem Robert Frost has written. When I read this poem, ‘home’, to me, means ‘family’, and I wonder if Frost…

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(S)mothering to the core

You know what I don’t understand? Overprotective parents. No no, hear me out. Here’s a typical scenario when you are out with your friends (If you are a Sri Lankan girl living with your parents). Phone rings. “hello?” “Putha*, where…

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Nowruz

Open the windows, 
For the kind breeze is celebrating the birthday of the beautiful flowers, 
And spring,
 On each and every branch,
 Close to each young leaf,
 Has turned on lovely candles! Fereydoon Moshiri, contemporary poet After a long and…

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It’s not death, but passing away from this birth to the next

There are two occasions where I get the chance to meet up with my entire extended family: Weddings and funerals. More recently, as economic constraints have taken their toll on the overly flamboyant Sri Lankan weddings, invitations lists have become…

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Kaffir culture: a heritage sustained through music and dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvLYV9MZLI An often overlooked minority, the Kaffirs of Sri Lanka are African descendants who have been living on the island since the early 1500s. The word Kaffir literally means ‘non believer’ and unlike in most other parts of the world,…

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