August 31, 2007
Newsletter #9

Climate of Change

As August comes to an end and I am able to keep my fan on level one—as opposed to the roaring level five I have had it on for the last four months, which sometimes barely seemed to cut through the humidity—I reflect on the events in Sri Lanka throughout the past month. It has been a time of celebration, with festivals for the Hindu and Buddhist religions, but they come amidst the backdrop of the growing conflict that pervades the country.

I was able to witness some of the celebrations of my neighborhood Hindu temple a couple of weeks ago as they prepared for the Ther Chariot Festival. Similar to many of the previous festivals, this community’s ability to decorate is exquisite. I knew something was afoot when I saw men setting up a huge archway on the lane leading to the Mayurapathi Sri Pathrakali Amman Temple. As the week continued, the shops on the lane were adorned with lights, flags, and pictures of gods, and the entire place was lit up each night, bustling with people going to and from the temple. On the day of the celebration (which I did not realize until after the fact), the streets were lined with banana trees and the men were busy preparing the “chariots” (which might best be compared to “floats” in the States). Men attach hooks to their skins and hang by strong cords from these chariots, a sign of devotion on this day.

This excerpt from an article on the Hinduism Today Web site might best describe the significance of this festival:

Nearly all large temples throughout Sri Lanka and South India have a temple chariot. During festival times, at each temple, the parade Deity (a Murthi or image of the God specially created for this purpose) is seated in the chariot and pulled around the perimeter of the temple in a grand procession by throngs of devotees tugging on thick ropes tied to the chariot. To be among the devotees who pull the chariot is considered a great honor, fraught with spiritual blessings from the Deity. Temple chariots are often very large, sometimes several stories tall, and may require thousands of devotees and several days to complete the festive procession around the temple. Traditionally, temple chariots are extraordinarily beautiful, plated with silver and gold and studded with precious jewels.

Now this temple’s procession might not have been as grand as described in this article, as it is a smaller community, but I am sure the beauty and devotion of the entire celebration were just as great.

Every month the Buddhists celebrate the full moon (“Poya,” in Sinhala), which is one of many holidays in Sri Lanka. For special Poya days, there are grand parades and festivals, with dances, actors, and adorned elephants (the more elephants, the better!), which are called Peraheras. Esala Perahera is considered the most important perahera of the year and is held in Kandy, a city near the middle of the country with a strong Buddhist culture. This usually occurs during July or August, depending on the astrological signs and the auspicious day that is chosen. This year the extravagant ten-day Perahera was held August 18 to 28 and culminated on the Nikini full moon Poya day. Luckily, some of my friends were able to attend, as it is difficult and expensive to get tickets, and they all had rave reviews of their entire experience—a must see. For more on the meaning of this complicated to procession and celebration and all that it represents to the Buddhists, see the Wikipedia entry on Esala Perahera.

I am thankful I have been taught to find joy in the midst of sorrow, as the situation of this country is one of continual struggle and dispute. Earlier this month, Sir John Holmes, the U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, visited the war-torn northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka for three days to assess the situation. He spoke to the people, NGOs, and government officials, including the president. Holmes was quoted as saying that Sri Lanka was one of the “most dangerous places in the world for humanitarian workers.” Since that statement, there have been rebuttals from the government, defending their stance and criticizing Holmes for tarnishing the image of the country and discrediting the government. I have not heard anything since these dialogues, but I know that a conversation has begun among the international communities here, and the government is more aware that it needs to be accountable.

Throughout these joys and sorrows stands Praja Abhilasha. A strong campaign against the rise of fuel prices has kept many of our fishery groups busy this month. As talks with the Ministry of Fisheries continue, one can only hope their combined voices will be heard, at least a little bit. And as I hear the crying out of these voices, I have realized that the beauty of Praja Abhilasha and its members is the devotion to the cause. I am entirely grateful that I am working with dedicated citizens who want to better their country. I have found, in speaking with colleagues who work in other NGOs, that their national staff is sometimes only working for the money. But the members of Praja Abhilasha, who are busy with their own campaigns and works, have taken this extra time to commit to creating and coordinating our programs because they see it as an advance for Sri Lanka and its people. And though some things have taken time to establish and communication can be difficult, I continue to be grateful for the people I work with and the drive for justice and equality that they possess.

The sun has decided to come out after a long morning of (much needed) rain. Every day has its blessings.

Peace,

Chenoa  Stock
Companionship Facilitator
Joining Hands – Sri Lanka