Symbolism and History of Sri Lanka's Flag, Music, and Tourist Attractions, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Symbolism and History of Sri Lanka's Flag, Music, and Tourist Attractions e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Sri lanka Flag The current Sri Lankan flag was officially adopted in May 22, 1972, although it has been in use since 1950. Its design consists of a golden yellow background, which contains two images. The first of these images is on the left side of the flag. It is composed of two vertical stripes that stand side by side. The right side is composed by a brown rectangle, which contains the image of a golden yellow lion. This lion faces to the left and holds a small ceremonial sword in its right front leg. Each of the images and colours used on the Sri Lankan flag has a special symbolic meaning for the country. The two stripes on the left side, for example, represent the two main minority groups living in Sri Lanka: Muslims and Tamils. The dark turquoise green colour represents the Muslim population, while the orange colour is intended to represent the Tamil population. The golden yellow background should be the smallest minority population living in this country. The lion on the right side is intended to represent the Sri Lankan people, who make up about three-quarters of the Sri Lankan population. The four leaves in each of the corners of the brown rectangle indicate each of the primary principles of Buddhism, which is the most widely practiced religion here. The sword is a symbol of Sri Lanka’s autonomy. Finally, it is said that the brown background is for the many minority religions practised in this country too. Commowelth The 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference was held in Colombo in September 2012. Sri Lanka was the first Commonwealth state to have a female prime minister. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was in office for three periods: 1960-1965, 1970-1977 and 1994-2000. Shehan Karunatilaka won the Commonwealth writers' Book Prize in 2012. Sanath jayasuriya was Wisden leading Cricketer in the World in 1996, Muttiah Muralitharan in 2000 and 2006 and KC Sangakkara in 2011. Geography The Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is an island in the Indian Ocean, separated from south-eastern India (state Tamil nadu) by the Strait of Palk. It is almost connected to the Indian mainland by Adam’s Bridge, a barrier of atolls, mostly submerged, located between the offshore island of mannar and India itself. The country comprises nine provinces (from south to north): southern (capital of Welsh province), sabaragamuwa (ratnapura), western (Colombo), Uva (badulla), eastern (trincomalee), central (kandy), north-western (Kurunegala) and central (anuradhapura) and north (Jaffna). Music The music of Sri Lanka has its roots in four primary influences: ancient folk rituals, Buddhist religious traditions, the legacy of European colonisation, and the commercial and historical influence of nearby Indian culture—specifically, Bollywood cinema. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Sri Lanka, landing in the mid-15th century. They brought with them traditional cantiga ballads, ukuleles and guitars, as well as conscripted Africans (referred to, historically, as kaffrinhas), who spread their own style of music known as baila. The influence of both European and African traditions served to further diversify the musical roots of contemporary Sri Lankan music. Another traditional Sri Lankan folk style is called the Virindu. It involves an improvised poem sung to the beaten melody of a rabana. Traditional song contests were held in which two virindu singers would compete through spontaneous verse. The Portuguese influenced Baila has been a popular folk tradition along the coastal districts in the past five hundred years and is now part of the mainstream music culture. Sri Lanka's traditional musical instruments The classical Sinhalese Orchestra consists of five categories of instruments. The drum is the king of local percussion instruments and without it, there will be no dance. The vibrant beat of the rhythm of the drums form the basic of the dance. The dances feet bounce off the floor and they leap and swirl in patterns that reflex the complex rhythms of the drum beat. This drum beat may seem simple on the first hearing but it takes a long time to master the intricate rhythms and variations, which the drummer sometimes can bring to a crescendo of intensity. Yak-bera: The Yak-bera is also known as "the demon drum," or the drum used in low country dance, in which the dancers wear masks and perform devil dancing, which has become a highly developed form of art. This is a double-headed drum with a cylinderic wooden frame. Thammattama: The Thammattama is a flat, two faced drum.[10] The drummer strikes the drum on the two surfaces on top with sticks, unlike the other traditional Sri Lankan drums, which are played by striking the sides of the instrument.[10] In the Hewisi Ensemble, this may be a companion drum to the aforementioned Dawula. Udekki: A small double headed, hourglass shape hand drum used to accompany songs.[citation needed] It is mostly heard in the poetry dances (vannam). Western music Western classical music has been studied and performed in Sri Lanka since its introduction during the Portuguese colonial period of the 15th century. The upper middle-class and upper-class citizens of the country traditionally formed the pedagogues, students, and audience of the Western classical tradition in the country, although western music is also offered as a subject at secondary schools and at tertiary level. The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest western orchestras in South Asia. The foundation of the National Youth Orchestra has helped increase interest and participation more widely in society and among young people outside Colombo. Many Sri Lankans have continued to reach the upper echelons of classical performance, including world-renowned cellist Rohan de Saram, pianist Rohan de Silva,[14] and many other composers, organists, and orchestral performers. Places to visit The journey: The journey can start from Colombo, the largest and most hectic city on the island, where you can appreciate the history and old colonial past of Sri Lanka Columbus, being the capital, is a very large and chaotic city. The civilization that is not located in the remaining island, seems to have been completely concentrated in this point that constitutes the departure of our tour between what to do in Sri Lanka. Roads surrounded by pavements, restaurants and villas wind through a traffic full of tuk tuk that whirl between buses and luxury cars, streets of the old part dotted with signs of every color that make them resemble the palette of a slightly tipsy artist. Cinammon Gardens is the most in area of Columbus, but if you want to enter the heart of the city reach the district of Pettah bazaar, the large market of fruit, vegetables, gold and spices. You have to visit the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, a temple that preserves Sri Lanka’s most precious religious