Sri Lanka Local Customs

  Kandyan dance
by josephescu
 
  • Kandyan dance
      Kandyan dance
    by josephescu
  • Buddist Temple - Colombo
      Buddist Temple - Colombo
    by PierreZA
  • Mini Monks
      Mini Monks
    by Maxus
  • Carry a Shawl
      Carry a Shawl
    by devat81
  • Lion beer & Benson Hedges
      Lion beer & Benson Hedges
    by josephescu
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Tipping

by Sambawalk

Tipping may be a culture or custom in one country but may not in another. It is common, by observation, that even local people would leave a rupree or two after their quick meal in local restaurant. As for the established restaurant for tourists, they may add on 10% service charge, but some don't in Unawatuna. Regardless 10% is added on to the bill or not, customer is expected to leave 10% of the total bill for the waiter.I met an european couple and they explained that they would only tip for waiter who does his work more than usual. A barely servicing what you order on the table will get no tip. He also explained to some waiters who kept reminding him that "no 10% service charge is leived on the bill" the rationale of his "personal" principle. After all, we may ask ourselves a question, do we get tipping from the work that we do in work place? The choice of tipping is yours.

Posting your letters

by ardelean

Post boxes come in many sizes and colours. Make sure that you post your mail in the correct colour box. This one was made in 1949 and is marked for GVIR for George VI of Great Britain.Be aware that sticky tape is forbidden for sealing envelopes - you must use the glue - and so are sticky labels - the address must be handwritten on the envelope, but registered mail is cheap, fast and reliable, so far……

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Driver's Accommodation

by ardelean

Many of the hotels outside Colombo have special accommodation for your driver, especially those called rest houses. The cost is included in the room rate, but ask when you book, because some don't , but the accommodation is at a reduced cost..

Drinks on arrival

by ardelean

One of the nicest customs is a cool drink when you arrive at a hotel. It's there, ready and waiting for you as soon as you arrive before you have checked in. I wish that it happened in more countries, especially the hot ones.

Resident or Non-resident

by ardelean

As with many marxist states worldwide, there are many advantages for 'residents'. You will find that some of the cheaper hotels have two rates, one for residents and a higher one for non-residents. Do not feel agrieved. The locals have a far lower income than you and cannot afford your lifestyle. Incidently, residents includes expatriates who are lucky enough to work in Sri Lanka and have a resident's visa.

RELIGION IN SRI LANKA

by mtncorg

Buddhism is the main religion within Sri Lanka - almost 70 percent of Sri Lankans profess this as their faith, though Buddhism is not always a religion, but more a philosophy, here it takes on more than a simple way of life. Other religions exist side-by-side in a for-the-most-part, peaceful manner. Arab traders have brought Islam to many areas of the island - around 7.5% of the island is Moslem. Europeans brought Christianity - another 7.5% and Tamils brought Hinduism 15%. It is common to see buildings of different religious groups existing in close proximity to one another in many areas. For example, in Kalmunai, at the epicenter of the tsunami on the east coast, one can find buildings for Methodist and Assembly of God churches next to a Hindu temple and across the street from an Islamic college.The main Buddhist sites on the island are at Kandy, where the Temple of the Tooth is...

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Fishing Villages Fringe Sri Lanka's Coastline.

by Hmmmm

Sri Lanka is an island, and island nations have an affinity with the Sea. i know, I am a New Zealander, a citizen of an Island Nation. In addition to an affinity with the big blue, island nations also rely on it economically. And anything economical directs setllement patterns. If you spend time in small Sri Lankan fishing villages you will see that they are not like the inland agricultural villages. Actually, the coastal belt surrounding Sri Lanka contains a very different settlement pattern that has evolved from older fishing villages. Separate fishing settlements expanded laterally along the coast, linked by a coastal highway and ome with a railway. The mobility of the coastal population during colonial times and after independence led to an increase in the size and number of villages, as well as to the development of growing urban centers with outside contacts. It is possible to...

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Sri Lanka - A Country of Plantations?

by Hmmmm

If you visit the Central Highlands and the areas of arable land in the Centre of teh country, you will see plantation after planatation, as well as rice field after rice field. In the Central Highlands, Tea Planations are everywhere. But Planations are not just confined to tea and to the mountainous areas. I saw Rubber Planationa a plenty, bananas as well. Coconut Planations are all over the place. As are mangoes and other tropical fruit. A little land use and settlement pattern history for you.Beginning in the sixteenth century and culminating during the British rule of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the plantation economy came to dominate large sections of the highlands. Plantation farming resulted in a drastic reduction in the natural forest cover and the substitution of domesticated crops, such as rubber, tea, or cinnamon. It also brought about a changed life-style, as the...

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Sri Lankan Land Use and Settlement Patterns. (Bis)

by Hmmmm

...Continued... So again, what are the Dominant Settlement Patterns of Rural Sri Lanka? The nature of agricultural pursuits in Sri Lanka has changed over the centuries and has usually depended upon the availability of arable land and water resources. In earlier times, when villagers had access to plentiful forests that separated settlements from each other, slash-and-burn agriculture was a standard technique. As expanding population and commercial pressures reduced the amount of available forestland, however, slash-and-burn cultivation steadily declined in favor of permanent cultivation by private owners. Until the thirteenth century, the village farming communities were mainly on the northern plains around Anuradhapura and then Polonnaruwa, but they later shifted to the southwest. In the 1980s, wide expanses of the northern and eastern plains were sparsely populated, with scattered...

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Sri Lankan Land Use and Settlement Patterns.

by Hmmmm

Sri Lanka is an incredibly beautiful country. Firstly its ablaze with colour and secondly its landscape is as varied and as dramatic as any varied and dramatic landscape. The Highlands are gorgeous, and the beaches sublimb - yet I really enjoyed the arable land as well. the Anthropologist in me always wants to know how people do stuff. Especially how land is used and settled. Every country has different land use and settlement patterns don't they?So what are the Dominant Settlement Patterns of Rural Sri Lanka?The dominant pattern of human settlement during the last 2,500 years has consisted of village farming communities. Even in the 1980s, the majority of people lived in small villages and worked at agricultural pursuits. Traditional farming techniques and life-styles revolve around two types of farming--"wet" and "dry"--depending upon the availability of water.The typical settlement...

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Top 3 Hotels in Sri Lanka

Mount Lavina Hotel  Colombo

 5 Reviews and 395 Opinions  This is the closest hotel you can experience the Beach as you come to Colombo. Good food, good rooms... 

 Hotels in Colombo

Earl's Regency Hotel Kandy  Kandy

 4 Reviews and 235 Opinions  Kandy Perahara Starts on Esala Full Moon Poya Day in July & finishes on Nikini Full Moon Poya Day on... 

 Hotels in Kandy

Palm Garden Village Hotel  Anuradhapura

 3 Reviews and 111 Opinions  The Palm Garden Village is like a colonial club, but one with a relaxed and freestyle-air. It was... 

 Hotels in Anuradhapura

Questions and Answers

MacedonianUK profile photo

Q:  Thinking of traveling to Sri Lanka in the end of March for 3 weeks. I will go with my 6 yr old. Will take Medical precoushns bu... 

HansDK profile photo

A: Any special reasons why you want to stay in Colombo for 3 days. Everywhere in Sri Lanka is child friendly, but as you want to end up in Trinco (and spend part of your... 

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