Lighting oil lamps have a special significance. Every auspicious occasion or otherwise is marked with the lighting of an oil lamp. In Buddhist worship, the oil lamp symbolizes the desire to acquire merit. Or to avert the evil influence of a bad planetary combination. Most Sri Lankan homes light an oil lamp either at dawn or dusk or throughout the day for the gods enshrined in the home altar. At the dawn of a new year, families herald the beginning with the ritual of lighting an oil lamp by the household’s elders. It’s the same with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, where the oil lamp features prominently at the center of the festive table, with festivities commencing not before the oil lamp is lighted. Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated by the Hindu community, is resplendent with an explosion of flickering lights illuminating the night. At weddings, it’s customary for the bride and the groom to begin celebrations with the lighting of the oil lamp. In the Hindu religious ritual of Aarthi, meaning the ceremony of lights, a lighted lamp (Deepam Pancharati) are circled in clockwise motion three times before the image of a deity. In churches, an oil lamp in the sanctuary signifies the presence of God, who symbolizes light. Of particular significance is the lamp called the Dolos Mahe Pahana, meaning the twelve-month lamp, sometimes found in Buddhist temples and devalaya. It is called thus because it is expected to keep burning all year round. In fact, every ceremony begins with the lighting of the oil lamp. This ritual is an overt expression of the sentiments of the people gathered. People who desire not just happy beginnings, but also delighted hereafters. The oil lamp is definitely a rich symbol of hope. As we enter a new year, lighting a lamp to summon that start is a harbinger of good things to come. It is a hope for prosperity. Many narratives surrounding the historicity of the oil lamp and its entrance into the country’s mainstream cultural lexicon are spun around written texts and excavated objects. They provide a window to its importance among our ancestors and the royalty. It’s said that from prehistoric times the natives used a carved-out stone for a lamp. The clay lamp with the single wick was the most standard type used for a long time, dating back to the Anuradhapura period. According to the ancient chronicle Mahavamsa, King Dutugemunu, who ruled in the second century BC, lit a thousand lamps, with ghee as the illuminant and white wicks burning continuously in twelve sacred places. Then in the first century AD, King Vasabha is also said to have lit thousand oil lamps at Thuparama, Chetiyapabbata, Ruvanweliseya, and the Sacred Bodhi Tree. To this day, the earthen lamp in the size of the palm is widely used in worship and rituals.

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拍攝者： Lasikasakun94