Sri Lanka Day Expo in Santa Monica Aug. 25

The 6th Annual Sri Lanka Day Expo is pleased to announce the lineup for Saturday, August 25, 2012 from 10:00am to 10:00pm. The event will be held at the Santa Monica Promenade between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway, in Santa Monica, California, 90401.

The Opening Ceremonies will begin 11:00am at the stage located near Broadway. A traditional multi-wicked brass lamp will be lit by invitees signifying the opening of the festivities accompanied by the blowing of a conch shell and drum crescendos. Dignitaries expected to participate include Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, State Controller John Chiang, Sri Lankan Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka Consul General Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, Kapila Wimalaratna of the Sri Lanka American Association and Sri Lanka Foundation Founder and President Dr. Walter Jayasinghe. Following the lamp lighting an opening dance will invoke blessings from the deities associated with the dance and music on behalf of all the performers at the expo.

Performances, throughout the 12 hour extravaganza, include pop style music, as well as ‘Bollywood’ influenced dances, such as the Bharata Natyam, a classical South Indian dance form. The performers will sometimes be accompanied by an orchestra using traditional musical instruments that include five types of cymbals and three types of drums. Classical dances include the Sabaragamuwa Natum from that particular province, the Pahatha Rata Natum from the southern area and the Uda Rata Natum or Kandyan dance associated with the hill country and the last royal capitol of Sri Lanka. All the dances and dancers differ in movement, costumes and musical instruments. The Ruhunu are famed for the intricate and colorful masks. Other significant dances pay homage to the Portuguese Colonial era that ended in the 1600’s.

A Cultural Costume Pageant will take place on the stage beginning at 2:40pm. It features traditional colorful attire worn in Sri Lanka.

At 4pm, the ‘Parade of Lanka’ will stroll down the Promenade featuring dancers, drummers, flag bearers and several Sri Lankan Community Associations. Highlights include a peacock float and three elephant floats. The parade pays homage to the annual “Esala Perahera” parade that honors a sacred tooth relic, belonging to Buddha, which is carried through the streets of the city of Kandy, in a casket on top of an elephant.

Contemporary music takes over the stage at 6pm, featuring the sounds of Ranidu, Dinuki and DJ. Ranidu is a Sri Lankan R&B and Hip Hop artist who has raised the international profile of modern Sinhalese music by being the first artist played on BBC Radio 1, as well as MTV and V and Z music in India. Dinuki is a model and pop singer.

The Expo also features a Sri Lankan Curry Festival with exotic spicy, savory and sweet tasty treats. Some of them are “Hoppers”, (a crispy type pancake made with many a twirl). Its edges are crispy, the middle is soft, and it is eaten with meat or vegetarian curry. Rice and curry is a stable, along with Kottu Roti that is similar to Mongolian Barbeque. It is made with eggs, meat and vegetables and an interesting cooking process enhances the wonderful taste. String Hoppers are soft and stringy and accompanied by curry. Pol Rotti bread is made with flour and coconut and served with spicy onions or curry. Short Eats are snacks similar to Tapas or Empanadas and once you start with these you can’t stop! No Sri Lankan food festival would be complete without Sri Lankan Sweets. These desserts include a variety of cakes, pies, puddings and biscuits.

The Sri Lanka Day Expo is presented by the Sri Lanka Foundation. A 501 C (3) non-profit organization formed in June 2003 by Walter Jayasinghe, M.D., a well-known Sri Lankan-American physician. With its corporate office in Los Angeles, California, the main focus of the Sri Lanka Foundation is to promote Sri Lankan culture in the United States and globally.

For additional information log on to www.srilankafoundation.com or www.slday.com or call 213-482-0126.