Updated on 12th February with a smartphone video clip that I took.

I have previously explained what perahera means, and yesterday we were witness to the final night of the Nawam Perahera centred around Gangaramaya temple and its sister, Seema Malakay temple on Beira Lake. Held every February full moon, it is a massive undertaking with crowds lining the streets on specially erected grandstands and going on deep in to the night.

During the late afternoon we walked to Devi park to see the elephants being dressed for the parade, and then on to the Colombo City Center shopping mall where after nightfall, we watched the parade itself from the balcony. Whilst is is a shame to see elephants tamed and in chains, they certainly make an impressive sight along with all the Kandyan dancers and other participants. They are astonishingly calm too in the relentless cacophany of drums and wind instruments, one group blending in to the next.

A real spectacle, and such a shame that my parents missed it being elsewhere on the island on their Grand Tour. When helping arrange their schedule we didn’t know about it. Hopefully their guide will have informed them of another perahera that they too could witness.

Steve