How Sri Lankans spend Christmas Day 

Christmas is one of the few holidays during the year which every Sri Lankan actively looks forward to. It’s so highly anticipated, that families - regardless of race or religion - spend the month leading up to the day with preparations, most of which continues into the very last minute of Christmas Eve! Even hotels, organizations and boutiques get in on the fun, offering special Christmas themed activities, carols and plays, and many discounted sales. 

And once the floors are polished, walls painted, and new linen is hung up, and once the tree is put up and decorated with every bauble and streamer in the multiple cardboard boxes strewn across the house (which little siblings then destroy – much to the maternal figures chagrin), and once the presents are wrapped and placed under the tree (following not-so-subtle hints and probably a month’s pay and dread facing the December credit card bill), the entire country waits with baited breath and a tangible excitement in the air for the sounds of little explosions (and possibly little sparks seen through the new curtains) at midnight. 

The morning of: Sri Lankans are likely wake up earlier than usual with little to no fuss, put one of their many new outfits purchased through the countless shopping sprees, and race down to the breakfast table in delight. This is probably the only morning during the year where it’s acceptable to gorge on sweets instead of your string-hoppers or roast-paan for breakfast. This won’t however stop your grandparents from complaining about diabetes and cholesterol. 

After digging into your plate piled high with buttered breudher (a delicious little creation left over by the Dutch colonists), love cake, Christmas cake, bread pudding and other little things your mother forces on you to give the appearance of a healthy meal, it’s time to either go for mass if you’re a Christian and didn’t make it for the midnight mass, or get the cutlery out and lay out the table. Because, unless you’re spending Christmas at a hotel, or have been invited out to a relative's place, chances are that you are the relative hosting Christmas lunch. And that is a battle in its own right. 

Prepping for battle (a.k.a. Christmas lunch): Get ready to sing along to loud carols by Jim Reeves, while the younger ones will compete with their own remixed versions of the classics, and dad's get ready to show off their bottled prized possessions stored away in a cupboard, and the mothers yell at everyone trying to pick a few nibbles before the guests arrive for lunch. 

Reminiscing the days gone by: Grandparents are likely to keep everyone entertained with stories that begin with “When I was your age…” and no matter how many times you’ve heard it, it’s always a nostalgic feeling to hear how Pettah was where all the shopping was done, and how Christmas cake was mixed with brute strength (and not these iffy electronic gadgets). This feeling however is quickly turned to irritation when the younger members in the family decide to power up their toys which create a bigger din than Pettah during the afternoon rush hour. 

Embracing the spirit of giving: Once the guests arrive and the hugging and kissing is done, the refrain of “My goodness! A year has also gone by” has passed will most definitely be heard more than once. Then the favourite part – exchanging gifts will commence and the wrapping will be saved for next year (following your mothers threatening whispers in your ear). Your little brothers and sisters will be looking for the latest fad which Santa couldn’t afford, mothers will be thrilled with more items for the home, the dads will open up their liquid gifts and those in their teens and awkward 20’s will happily go to their rooms to count the wads of cash in envelopes, and snapchat to their friends as to how this lunch might not be as bad as expected. 

A feast fit for a king: When celebrating Christmas in the tropics, be prepared to eat more spice and food than humanly possible, and enter a semi-comatose state. And this is before the mains will be served. Uncles and aunties will put on decorative (albeit embarrassing) party hats and force you to stand with them as they attempt to create the perfect selfie, tell you how thin you are, and ask how school is (even though you’ve possibly left school a good decade ago). Your siblings will keep comparing Santa gifts and report cards, grandparents will be yelling even louder in order to be heard over the racket, dads will burst into carols and insist that everyone joins in, and if you’re the oldest in the family, you can be sure that you will end up on duty drying the plates and bowls for the imminent lunch, whilst running back and forth the kitchen taking out the bites your mother and the ladies keep preparing out to the gents. The benefit here is that you can sneak in a few good pieces before anyone notices. At noon, a quick break is taken to run outside and light more crackers, at which point any pets in the house will probably refuse to come out from under the sofa. 

After feasting on a lunch, at a table groaning under the weight of roughly a baby whale, little ones will fall asleep clutching a now probably battered toy, grandparents will look for a cup of tea to pick them up, dads will doze off in their chairs while their phones ring with calls from more well-wishers, and everyone else will be seen in the kitchen cleaning up. 

The celebrations continue: Chances are that after everyone goes home, an extended nap will be had by everyone, although it’s not unusual to pull up some Christmas movies on Netflix or whatever is playing on T.V. Sometimes, in the sunny island here in Sri Lanka, it is not uncommon for visiting to commence in the evening – and in a country where everyone seems to be related, it makes sense to start this daunting task early. So it’s best to be prepared for more king coconut or milk wine, a lot more cake, cheese and cream crackers, and sunquick. 

Sri Lankans are our own unique breed - particularly during festive occasions. We stress a lot leading up to the day, but are immensely generous in terms of food (and gifts). There is a lot of love that goes around, and no matter your age, be it 5 or 55, the day brings with it so much joy, that it is impossible to stop smiling even when you’re in bed that night unable to move from all the food in your belly. 

By Cassandra Van Heer