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Page last updated: 19-06-2007

Seenigama kids celebrate Poya with flowers and fun

Almost seventy children from the Foundation of Goodness’s Children’s Goodness Clubs took part in a flower Perahera (parade) through Seenigama to celebrate the May 31st Poya day holiday.

Dressed in traditional white, the children aged 3 to 15 walked through the village chanting ‘sadosaadosaaa’, a Buddhist blessing akin to praising God.

Led by boys wheeling on bicycles decorated with intricate floral designs, the children clasped paper flowers, waved Buddhist flags and held up placards painted with Buddhist teachings such as ‘speak the truth’, ‘look after your parents’, and ‘act with compassion’.

The Poya Day is a holiday given each full moon in Sri Lanka so that Buddhists can spend time contemplating their spiritual progress, often visiting a nearby temple to listen to monks’ teachings.

As this Poya Day fell on the second full moon of May (making it the ‘blue moon’ of the western saying ‘once in a blue moon’), it was known as Adi Poson Poya, an extension of the June Poson Poya which commemorates the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Arahat Maha Mahinda (son of King Asoka of India) at Mihintale in the third century B.C..

For the children of Seenigama, the chance to spread the messages of compassion and mindfulness was all the more appealing when combined with pit stops for drinks and biscuits from well wishers along the way.

Coming to an end at the Seenigama temple, which provided many with shelter in the days after the tsunami, the Perahera was a simple but heartfelt way for the children to enjoy their traditional culture and the peace of a Saturday afternoon in their village.

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