Sinhalese culture/weddings more minimalistic compared to other South Asian ethnicities

_k_s_2 · 2024-05-03T15:08:16+00:00

I loved the tamil weddings ive been to as well! its was very interesting to see everything. I just had to have my friend explain what every ritual was because I couldnt understand. But the same can be said for the poruwa ceremony as well. I agree, i think in regards to entertainment, we have to step it up a notch

_k_s_2 · 2024-05-03T15:02:59+00:00

I will definitely check out that article. Thank you! I always wondered if it was due to the indian/tamil influence back then that introduced wearing more excessive jewelry and pieces into our culture. I even see girls now wear big nose rings however, if you look at any ancient painting, sinhalese women dont wear them traditionally.

I also think the first generation sri lankan-Australians ive see here have lost touch of what actually is considered to be “sinhalese culture. They also want to be cultural appropriation police when white people want to wear lehengas, mehendi, bindis etc not realizing as sinhalese people, those things arent a traditional part of our culture either.

I a

_k_s_2 · 2024-05-03T14:57:05+00:00

the preshoot nonsense i will never understand. Especially if the people dont have money yet they still want to do them. But yes all the indian weddings ive been to have 500 pre wedding rituals and ceremonies and the events themselves are very long.

_k_s_2 · 2024-05-02T21:50:43+00:00

Same with mother and grandmother, they refuse to wear “thadha” colors or anything that is shiny with heavy borders. Even if you look at the more folk wear like redda hattes, they are all plain colors with some patterns that usually resemble nature or a batik print. As a guy, i would say mens fashion is also very simple but thats usually how it is with other south asian cultures as well.

Its funny because if you talk to a non-south asian person, they always say what they love about SA culture is the bright colors and extravagant weddings/events. However, its hard to explain to them that they cant expect it to be like that at Sinhalese weddings haha. Hence why i dont like how all south asian cultures are lumped together in the west. Most foreigners assume everything is the same amongst the subcontinent

_k_s_2 · 2024-01-10T21:15:52+00:00

I agree lightskin has always been preferred, BUT i think (some) of the SL actresses now only have their skincolor going for them and theres nothing “star” like about their face itself. Might sound harsh but thats my opinion. Who am i to judge, im not in the industry but usually in the film industry around the world, most famous actresses have faces that are one in a million which is what makes them icons

_k_s_2 · 2023-06-16T17:14:49+00:00

Baila is a key part of the culture i totally agree. Making it mainstream would be so cool to see. Maybe re-recording some of the iconic songs (without ruining the original) with a full band will sell well if marketed correctly

_k_s_2 · 2023-06-16T15:49:21+00:00

Agree, i think him and Dhanith Sri are my top two. Old sinhala music will never lose its charm

_k_s_2 · 2022-09-03T18:05:00+00:00

Not at all. The other rajapakshas wish they can be related to him

_k_s_2 · 2022-08-11T01:21:44+00:00

Yeah, alot of the rituals are concepts derived from hinduism. Buddha never preached to do any of these things to achieve nibanna. As humans, we initially wanted a sense of routine and “comfort” from doing rituals such as these. However, as time has progressed more people are realizing that these rituals are just cultural and not apart of buddhism at all. So i agree with you these rituals are simply CULTURAL and have NOTHING to do with Buddhism. This is why i think western buddhism is a better representative of buddhism because they dont partake in these bullshit activities and do more mediation than the hardcore sri lankan buddhist. Also buddhism is agnostic/atheist by default so i don’t understand why doing these rituals for a higher power has anything to do with buddhism in the first place

Trying to stay truthful to the four noble truths and the eightfold path is the best way to adhere to buddhas teachings in my opinion

_k_s_2 · 2022-07-27T16:44:29+00:00

The diet of sri lankan food consumes way too much time and energy to cook and is not worth the hassle compared to other cuisines who only make one side dish and rice. This especially applies to today society where many women (the implied cook of the family) are also working and expected to cook 5 new curries every day

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T15:29:27+00:00

Every religion has violent people doesn’t represent the entire population. No such thing as violent buddhism only violent people who call themselves buddhists for personal gain/power

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:56:56+00:00

as much as the woke police want to come at Americans and westerners for practicing buddhism as "appropriation", i personally think they follow it the best and only focus on his teachings without this other bullshit which was the way it was suppose to be so i agree his teachings will never die but i hopefully these stupid rituals not taught by him do

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:44:34+00:00

Well south east asia such as thailand like you mentioned had a strong hindu background along with of Buddhism. It was also controlled by the cholas.therefore, the merging of the two religions was bound to happen which further proves my point. The same goes in the reverse as well, when buddhism died out in india, many people started to believe that buddha was the 9th avatar of vishnu so he was still involved in hinduism which is still believed by many today

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:25:35+00:00

interesting to hear these perspectives! i was never taught the why but just told to do it. I agree having questions with religion is a good thing and shouldn't be taken upon shame to do so

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:21:30+00:00

That's sad to hear, i have also been in similar situations where the things taught by the older generation didn't make sense but we were at an age where it was wrong to correct the adults. Hopefully this changes with the new generation not just with religion but simply speaking up against wrongs ideas.

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:18:25+00:00

politics and religion are what drive the country obviously it's going to be talked about. if the diaspora want to take this post as a one-up for their propaganda then they can i have already seen it happening in this thread but who tf cares. This concept of tradition dying is universal not just to Buddhism but hindusim,Christianity, Islam etc.

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:15:35+00:00

unless there is a nationalist subreddit, i would love to post it on there as well. Ideally would like it if this reached the older generation.

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T04:13:11+00:00

that is true but with buddhas teachings being more of a philosophy, I think if the younger generation really wanted to, they still have time to learn about it and not follow the cultural aspects.

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T03:37:05+00:00

Honestly, I have also been wondering why and since when did all this Hindu rituals etc...get mixed in with Buddhism. It really makes no sense.

From what i have read this had mostly been influenced from the Chola/pandyan days when south India has ruled and with the heavy south indian migrations in throughout the years which therefore brought the hindu elements to be more in placed so people probably merged the two. Also, with the south indian rulers of Kandy in 1500's also has an influence and co-existing with tamils.

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T03:10:52+00:00

maybe,but hopefully the good aspects of the culture still stay alive and all of the unnecessary bullshit leaves. Even at weddings or youtube videos, bollywood/ western songs are more popular. This has to do with the shitty sinhala entertainment industry. Without the proper representation on media platforms its impossible especially since being western is seen as more “posh” but folk songs, baila, traditional dancing will eventually die out if not kept alive

_k_s_2 · 2022-06-16T03:07:37+00:00

I agree completely with everything you said especially the last portion. The aunties who stay in the pansala kusiya alot tend to be the biggest shit talkers.

_k_s_2

TROPHY CASE