Public holidays in Sri Lanka

Every full moon is a poya day and a public holiday in Sri Lanka, giving twelve or thirteen a year depending on the lunar calendar. Each has its own name and significance: Duruthu in January marks the Buddha's first visit to the island, Vesak in May his birth, enlightenment and passing, Poson in June the arrival of Buddhism, and Esala in July or August the Kandy perahera season.

The practical consequences are consistent. Alcohol is not sold anywhere, including hotels, bars and supermarkets, though some hotels quietly provide room service to residents. Meat is less widely available as many people observe vegetarianism. Government offices, banks and many shops close. Temples are extremely busy with white-clad worshippers, which makes poya an excellent day to visit one if you want atmosphere and a poor day if you want quiet.

Sri Lanka distinguishes between three categories, which explains why some holidays close everything and others close very little. Public holidays affect government offices and schools. Bank holidays close banks. Mercantile holidays apply to private sector businesses. Many dates fall into all three, but not all.

For a visitor the distinction matters mainly for money and admin. On a bank holiday you can still shop, but you may struggle to change money at a bank branch, and ATMs occasionally run dry over long weekends. Carry more cash than usual around holiday clusters.

Avurudu, on 13 and 14 April, is by a distance the most disruptive period in the Sri Lankan calendar. Many shops, restaurants, banks and offices close for several days, intercity buses and trains are extremely crowded for around a week, and domestic hotel demand peaks, particularly in Nuwara Eliya.

The dates themselves are fixed but the auspicious times within them are set by astrologers each year, and families follow them closely. It is also one of the warmest times to be in Sri Lanka culturally, with village games, milk rice, sweets and open hospitality. Plan around it or plan into it, but do not arrive on 12 April with a packed sightseeing schedule and no idea why everything is shut.

Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival, falls in mid-January and is a public holiday, observed most visibly in Jaffna and the plantation districts. Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights, falls in October or November depending on the lunar calendar and is also a holiday.

Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, and the Prophet's birthday are all public holidays, with dates moving through the year on the Islamic lunar calendar. Christmas Day and Good Friday are public holidays, and Christmas is widely marked well beyond the Christian community, particularly along the west coast around Negombo.

Mostly, they do not spoil anything and often improve it. Tourist sites, national parks, hotels and restaurants generally stay open, and a poya day at Anuradhapura or a Vesak evening in Kandy is a far better experience than the same place on an ordinary Tuesday.

The exceptions to plan around are April's Avurudu week, when transport and accommodation need booking well ahead, and the Poson week in June, when Anuradhapura and Mihintale fill completely. Add the Kandy Esala Perahera in July or August, which is spectacular and makes Kandy accommodation both scarce and expensive.

On poya days, and on certain other dates, the sale of alcohol is prohibited across the country. Liquor shops close, supermarkets cover their alcohol shelves, and bars and restaurants do not serve. Some hotels provide alcohol via room service to resident guests, though this varies and should not be assumed.

If having a drink matters on a particular evening, buy the day before. Poya dates are published and easy to check. This also applies to certain election days and other designated dry days, which are announced with little notice.

Poya days, Deepavali, Eid and the Esala perahera all move year to year, and the Sri Lankan government publishes the official holiday list annually. Check it when planning rather than relying on any article's dates, including this one.

The two fixed points worth building a trip around are 13 and 14 April for Avurudu, and 4 February for Independence Day, which brings parades and road closures in Colombo but affects little else.

Look up the official holiday list for your travel year before you book anything. If your dates hit Avurudu or Poson, either commit to the experience and book early, or shift by a week. If they hit a random poya, do nothing except buy wine the day before and go to a temple in the evening.

Lankan Stays & Trails checks the calendar against every itinerary and will tell you when a date change of three days turns a difficult week into an excellent one.