Category: Etiquette

Speaking with the locals Sinhalese  known natively as Sinhala is the native language of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, numbering about 16 million. Sinhalese is also spoken as a second language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about four million. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Sinhalese is written using the Sinhalese script, which is one of the Brahmic scripts, a…
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This is something a visitor to Sri Lanka will most likely see while riding a tuk tuk. The scenario will probably look like this: You’re stuck in traffic and, like most days at any given time, it’s hot, and you can see a traffic policeman up ahead directing the traffic. The tuk tuk driver reaches for a bottle of Smirnoff or another famous alcoholic brand. Screws the cork off and starts chugging straight out of…
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When visiting a Sri Lankan home Always take your shoes off (or make an attempt to) when you enter someone’s home. Sri Lankans never walk around at home with shoes on. Its very common to see rows of shoes or flip flops (which by the way are called “slippers” in Sri Lanka) lined up outside the front door. Also it’s not polite to point the soles of your feet at people. If you’re sitting on…
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Sri Lankans like using umbrellas, and that’s just a fact. You’ll see people walking around with umbrellas trying to shield themselves from the strong sun, and you’ll see them trying to hold onto them in the heavy wind and rain. But the third and most fascinating one is young couples hanging out under umbrellas. With the umbrella over their heads creating privacy and a sense of personal space, young men and women innocently touch each…
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