Wedding traditions of Colombo
Where Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher weddings meet, and where the poruwa is the heart of a Sinhalese ceremony.
Sri Lanka has a distinct wedding for each community. The Sinhalese Buddhist wedding takes place on a decorated wooden platform called a poruwa, at an auspicious time chosen by an astrologer.
A wedding here
On the poruwa the couple exchange rings and betel leaves, the bride's and groom's little fingers are bound with a thread, and the groom's hand is joined to the bride's in the pouring of water. A Kandyan bride wears an osariya sari with a tiered pleat. A Tamil Hindu wedding includes a fire rite and the thali, and a Muslim wedding includes the nikah.
Where weddings happen
Hotels along Galle Face, Cinnamon Gardens, and halls in Mount Lavinia and Dehiwala.
The season and the calendar
Dates come from astrologers and many are chosen in the months outside Sinhalese New Year in April and avoiding the period of the Poya days.
Wedding customs of Colombo
Also part of it, and being written: Jayamangala Gatha (The verses of blessing recited at Sinhalese weddings.), Thali (The Tamil wedding pendant.), Nikah (The Muslim contract.).
Communities and their weddings in Colombo
- Sinhalese Buddhist The poruwa and the astrologer's time.
- Tamil Hindu A fire and thali rite.
- Sri Lankan Muslim The nikah and a walima.
- Burgher A Christian community with a church wedding and a toast tradition.
A wedding trail idea for Colombo
- Pettah market A crowded market for textiles and wedding goods.
- Sea Street A famous jewellery street.
- Galle Face Hotel A heritage hotel hosting receptions.
- Colombo Registrar offices Where civil registration is done.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Poruwa ceremony: A Derivative Work by MediaJet ,, CC BY 2.0, source
- Osariya: Mr Anuradha Ratnaweera (අනුරාධ රත්නවීර මහතා), CC BY-SA 2.0, source