Sunsets and Cityscapes…

We moved to our new apartment at the beginning of
February and are enjoying the views from our balcony.  Not to rub it in to our Northeast US family and friends, but the weather here has just been outstanding– 88 degrees F every day.  We’ve got access to a nice pool and a gym, so we have been pretty happy here.

What we’d like to highlight in this post is the progression of the sun as it makes its way north.  We are at 7 degree latitude here, just above the equator.  We’ve been impressed with the daily progression of the sun as we head toward the vernal equinox.  Something to be said about sun sets and cityscapes…!

Poya Perahera

The sacred relic makings its way down the parade route.

A blur of movement

Buddha tweaks our apartment building.

The chains

Jasper’s in the background.

 

Every full moon the entire country of Sri Lanka, people of all faiths, celebrate “Poya” day, which essentially becomes a holiday when families gather, festivals are held, and remembrances held. During our first Pola Day we went out to eat some amazing Sri Lankan food and strolled the Arcade in Independence Square with countless other families.

As the February Poya approached we talked a bit about walking the local park that evening and taking in the sights. The night before Poya I was reading before bed when I looked outside the window of our new apartment to see what I thought were elephants walking the streets below. We all quickly gathered ourselves to head outside to catch the tail end of a parade.

We turn the block to see a spectacle that rivals, dare I say, exceeds, any parades we’ve seen or participated in the states. Dancing troops from across the country replicating ancient dances to traditional music filled the streets. Teams of monks clad in orange carrying golden suns reflecting in the fire light, large plastic Buddha encased in flashing lights putting on a psychedelic show. And the elephants, draped in embroidered tapestries that glittered in the light. We had stumbled upon the largest and grandest Poya parade in Colombo of the year, the Nawam Maha Perahera.  By 11 pm the parade was over, marked by the arrival of the sacred relic on the back of purple and blue adorned elephant.

According to a website, “The Nawam Maha Perahera of the Gangaramaya Temple was started in 1979 during a period of economic turmoil, student unrest and massive unemployment in Sri Lanka. During this unsettling time, the traditional Sri Lankan performing artists and their cultural talents were being neglected by lack of recognition and opportunity, and many of the village groups had sold their costumes, masks and instruments and found new employment in the industrial or agricultural sectors.” – See more at: http://www.serendib.btoptions.lk/article.php?id=1614&issue=62#sthash.hVYQhmuv.dpuf

The kicker for us, was that the parade is a two day affair. We readied ourselves for the second night and caught the parade again, this time, seeing its start. More dancers, more fire and stilt walkers, more monks in flowing robes. We had a very nice vantage point where the parade does a loop around one of the city’s famed bodhi trees.  It all made for a wonderful backdrop to an unforgettable experience. Jasper even made a friend who invited him up onto a fence to watch the show.

By the end of the night, however, we all began to feel sorry for the elephants, most of whom sauntered down the road in chains. A harsh reality for these gentle beasts. A reminder that despite the capacity for human beings to express such beauty through movement, song and sight, we still have a ways to go toward respecting our animal brethren. That being said, we felt fortunate to witness the events and will count it among the many, and growing, memorable moments being had here.

Pope Francis visits Sri Lanka

 

Pope Francis consecrating the Eurcharist.

We stood right in front of a seat row of nuns. Their reactions during the mass were priceless.

Towards the end of mass, a sea of white umbrellas descended into the crowd to distribute Communion. It was an incredibly efficient process.

View from our spot, with zoom. We couldn’t see the Pope until he came down for the blessing of the bread and wine.

Having grown up Catholic, Chris in particular still has an affinity for the rituals of mass and a lingering hope that the Catholic Church can clean up its act and function as a moral institution. Pope Francis has done more to restore some faith in the Church.   His Holiness is, as they, the real deal. Whether he can reform an ancient, morally deficient institution, remains to be seen.

We were lucky enough to be in Colombo when the Pope visited Sri Lanka. On January 14 we got up early and made our way to the Galle Green. We joined the throngs of the 500,000 plus people on the green to take part in the mass. Sri Lanka is only 7% Catholic, 74% Buddhist, 9% Hindu, and 9% Muslim. It is a great melting pot that has not been without its problems. We’ve been studying some of the dynamics of the recent civil war and will add more comments on that in later posts.

The Pope’s message during his visit was “reconciliation”– a timely message given the recent presidential election (see a forthcoming post) and the need to heal the rifts between the Buddhist Sinhalese and the Hindu Tamils.

The Mass itself was spectacular. People of all faiths present, waving flags and singing some beautiful hymms in Sinhalese. The Pope gave his homily in English and consecrated the Eurcurast and in a humble way, was simply “just” another priest performing this ritual done millions of times every week across the globe.

It is an experience that we will never forget!  God bless this Pope and his message.

Heading out

In just a few days we will be well on our way to Sri Lanka.  Getting the house together before we leave is quite the task!