The Sinhalese term ‘Perahera’ means a procession or parade, with the Esala Perahera in Kandy being one of the oldest and most spectacular of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka.  It features dancers, jugglers, drummers and other musicians, fire-breathers, fire “twirlers” and lavishly decorated elephants and together with associated religious events lasts for ten days in all.  Rennie and I were fortunate to witness it in 2011 and the main procession lasted for several hours on the night we were there.

Last night, the sound of firecrackers reverberating off buildings in our city street took our attention, and on going out to the balcony we witnessed a small perahera making its way to the local temple.  No elephants, but plenty of fire “twirlers” and loud drumming as the procession slowly made its way down the main street and then up a side road.  With the children watching too, we gained another experience – and another contrast with life in an English countryside village.

Steve