Sri Lanka’s Independence Day is celebrated on 4th of February to commemorate its internal political independence from British rule on that day in 1948 and also to remember Sri Lanka's struggle for independence from various regimes (Office Holidays, n.d.).

CPSC sends its warm wishes to its Sri Lankan brothers and sisters for this very auspicious and historically significant event.

History

Due to its location and geography, Sri Lanka was an attractive acquisition to other countries. In the 16th century, The Portuguese were the first to make a serious attempt to colonize the country. Then the island was coveted by the Dutch which led to clashes between Portuguese and Dutch.

Eventually, the British took control of the coastal areas in 1796, naming it Ceylon. By 1815 they were the first colonial power to control the whole island. On February 4, 1948, the country was granted independence as Ceylon. Hence, the country became a dominion within the British Empire with Don Stephen Senanayake as its first Prime Minister.

In 1972 Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka and became a republic within the commonwealth (Office Holidays, n.d.).

Celebrations for 2023

The government has decided to celebrate the 75th National Independence Day with pride together with the new reformist program for the next 25 years (Wijewardene, R., 2023).

During this celebration held with pride under the theme "Namo Namo Matha - A Step towards a Century", the government will announce its new reformist course for the next 25 years for the implementation of a stable government policy right until the 100th Independence Day celebrations in 2048.

In a statement (from Adaderana.lk), the Prime Minister’s Office has further mentioned that the festivities are scheduled to begin after the offering of floral tributes at the statue of Mahamanya D.S. Senanayake at Independence Square and the statue of the war heroes at the Presidential Secretariat. It is also of significance that many cultural and religious programs have been organized throughout the country in conjunction with the 75th National Independence Festival.

Accordingly, the Buddhist religious rites will be performed on the evening of February 02 at Sri Dalada Maligawa, and on the same night, the Dhamma sermon will begin at Victoria Dam at 9:00 PM. The following morning, an almsgiving has also been planned, it said.

The Catholic religious services will be held at Maradana Fatima Church on February 04 at 6.30 a.m., while Christian religious services will be held at the same time at Galle Face Christian Church. Hindu religious rituals will be held on the morning of February 03 at Trincomalee Dakshina Kailash or Koneswaram Temple. Arrangements have been made to hold Muslim religious services on February 4th at 10.00 a.m. at the Colombo Grand Mosque, according to the PMD.

Meanwhile, Buddhist and Hindu religious programs have also been organized in Colombo, and accordingly, on February 04 at 6.30 a.m., a Buddhist religious program has been organized at Dharmakirtyarama Temple, Polwatta, Colombo 03, and Hindu religious programs have also been organized at New Kadireshan Temple, Colombo 04.

A Sri Dalada exhibition is to be held at the historic Temple of the Tooth Relic premises in March, an exhibition of Kapila Vastu Buddhist Relics is to be held in Colombo in May, the sacred Buddhist relics from China exposition and exhibition to be held in Anuradhapura in June, an exhibition of the sacred Buddhist relics from Pakistan is scheduled to be held in the Southern Province in July.

In addition, the special cultural arts festival “LankaraLanka” organized in conjunction with the 75th Independence Day will be held on February 03 at 7.30 pm at Independence Square in Colombo with the participation of 750 artists from the public and private sectors, said the PMD.

The statement further points out that the Jaffna Cultural Center will be opened on February 11th morning under the patronage of the President, and the cultural procession will commence opposite the Jaffna Cultural Center and will travel through the streets of Jaffna culminating near the Jaffna Fort (the old bus station site). A cultural concert will also be held there and a special music concert is also planned to be held at the same venue that night.


References:

  • Adaderana (2 February 2023). Sri Lanka to celebrate 75th Independence with new reformist program for the next 25 years. Retrieved from: http://www.adaderana.lk/news/87534/sri-lanka-to-celebrate-75th-independence-with-new-reformist-program-for-next-25-years
  • Office Holidays. (n.d.). National Day in Sri Lanka in 2022. Office Holidays. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/sri-lanka/sri-lanka-national-day
  • Wijewardene R. (2023 18 January). The country celebrates its 75th National Independence Celebration with prite with the new reformist program for the nexr 25 years. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/country-celebrates-its-75th-national-independence-new-wijewardene/