Visiting Jaffna to experience the Longest Hindu Festival in Sri Lanka - Nallur

[Applause] what is up guys and welcome back to my channel in this video I am going to be taking you to explore the Nur Festival one of the longest and oldest and largest festivals in Sri Lanka and I'm going to be showing you just how the people of jaffna and the north prepare for this Festival their diet their attire and what it means to them so I'm old enough to remember when everybody was together anyway but now it's even better because everybody's taking part and and really sort of happy you get stimulated with all your senses the smelling the ears the eyes it's really incredible the nalu festival in jafna is a 25 day long ceremony which happens annually in the months of August and September during our very first visit to jafna in 2021 we learned about this amazing Festival that has been taking place for centuries and we were told that this is one of the most important events that took place up here in the north and that we had to see it for ourselves so this year we teamed up with our friends in japna to take you through the entire experience what's happening uh so we are doing Festival shopping we have to wear the correct attire to go for the Nur Festival so Shan already did his and now I'm oh this one is pretty nice now I'm picking out uh colors for saries for me to wear which one I think looks better [Music] they check the color we didn't do any of this so Ki was saying how usually when you come shopping with the mothers and the daughters they open all the saries and they check everything for hours and hours not by anything but I'm here with my impatient husband behind the camera camera so I can't do that I had to quickly select a color that is nice and wear it so don't come with your husbands all right so the festival shopping is done we did it here on Grand Bazar Street there's a ton of shops here but obviously we recommend this for topnotch service and a good selection of saries we've got Shan Sarang as [Music] well thank you anary today what is it it's a nuts and [Music] um sui and nuts and usually you can give your jacket material which comes with your song to get it tailored in the morning and probably pick it up by evening but since today Sunday all the shops most of the shops are closed most of the tailor are not here so we're trying to find a readymade jacket that will fit me I'm a bit upset because the material for my jacket is really beautiful and I hoped I could wear it but let's see if we can find something similar thank you the shop just goes in and in and in like looks so small outside well with it with that it goes well with it mhm have a look it's a good match really good match pretty good match look at this this is the color and it matches the border of the S can show you see this is like the it's like a pretty close match I would say you already lucky oh nice nice yeah does it look nice okay it look very good thank you anything I think that's it no sh you don't need a jacket we found a jacket but it doesn't fit exactly right and I really want it to so we are going to go in here right opposite the store that we got a readymade jacket from there's a tailoring Place everything around here is so there's so much depth it's looks like a tiny little alley or a tiny little dough or a tiny shop but then it just goes in and in and in oh here's the tailor this L is full of tail any CHS right all are [Music] closed so we finished our Festival shopping and now we're walking down the road here looking for a place for lunch and what you see behind me here is one of the oldest standing buildings in jafna just look at the very Exquisite architecture that it has it's really funny so during the season of the Nur Festival you can see that many of the devotees will turn towards a vegetarian diet so right now we are in the home of one of our friends who have very kindly invited us for a meal and something that we learned is on top of being vegetarian some people will also take it a step forward and fast during the morning period of the day and Skip breakfast as well and so they will break their fast at noon time with the delicious spread of vegetarian jaffna meals and some people will take a step further and they will skip their lunch as well and only eat after 6:00 p.m. and consume just some fruit and some yogurt or milk today we are at our friend ki's home and she has very graciously invited us thank you and we are eating on the floor which is the traditional way of eating here and it's actually from my understanding considered to be the healthiest way for your digestive system to do its job so here we are seated on the floor enjoying about to enjoy a delicious meal so we also have been fasting today we haven't had our breakfast yet so I'm so excited to dig into this beautiful spread what's really interesting about this meal is that it has the flavor of sweet sour bitter spicy Savory a little bit of everything here here so it really awakens your taste buds when you break your [Music] F so for the last part of your your meal you have the Pam which is like a SEO uh it's a sweet dish but we've been having it after our meal as a dessert and that is how you're supposed to have it but apparently the authentic way to have it is to put it on your Banana Leaf along with the remaining curries and to mix it in with the Savory and sour and uh bitter flavors of the gravy like you can see me doing here and to crush a papa dong into it to give it some texture this is my first time ever trying it I didn't even know that this is how you're supposed to consume it it it cuts the sweetness and adds some other interesting flavors to it it's so new to me that I don't know how to describe it it's warm the Pam itself already has a lot of spices in it like cardamon and things like that so it's a really unique flavor it's very nice we just had an incredible nap after an incredible lunch so we're still a little groggy but now it's time to get ready for the festival I've got our clothes and we are here at s's sister's house cuz she's going to help me wear the SAR let's go in and get [Music] ready [Applause] [Music] and I am ready for the festival so this is the s that we bought it is a very traditional cotton SAR and as you can see the bright colors are something that everyone in Nur takes part in you want to be as vibrant and colorful as possible and uh 1 minute rmade jacket as well as some earrings I bought from home Sia's mom has given me some Bangles she said usually girls wear a lot more Bangles than this she even gave me a necklace to complete the look because you really get dressed up for the festival in lots of jewelry and gold and things like that so I'm trying to be authentic as [Music] possible [Music] go [Music] so we've made our way into Nur and we're waiting for the festival to start and what I have in my hand is an offering for the Lord Morgan consists of beetle Leaf coconut bananas some incense and usually one would make a wish or a tribute and break this coconut right outside the Nur Temple what makes the Nur Festival the longest Festival in Sri Lanka is that it spans over 25 days and over the 25 days there's a different theme on each day and what makes it really unique and exciting for the devotees is that usually you would go inside the temple and worship the God but during The 25 Days of the festival the God will be riding on a special charot under a different theme every single day for the 25 days and he will visit outside of the temple and circle around the outskirts of the temple to meet his devotees and share his blessings with them and they too in turn will follow his procession and make tributes to him and make sacrifices for him and sacrifices for the Lord murugan come in the way of bodily mortification so there will be men rolling on the ground outside of the temple as well as women taking the step by step Pro process and this is all a way of saying this is how much devotion we have to [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you so in the two days we have been here we've seen the different themes that have taken place and just so you know this happens not only in the evening but in the morning as well so we came on two evenings and yesterday we saw the veale team and the veale is Lord mugan spear it's his weapon and it's a symbol of him and yesterday's theme was based around that and today's is the hunting theme where the Lord murugan and his wives are riding on the horses and there's a procession in front of them it's marvelous and there's so much grandiosity to it today in the morning apparently it was a mango theme so I'm I didn't see that so I can't comment on that exactly but it's so wonderful to see how much color how much Vibrance how much passion and how much devotion there is by the people and even by the coille and the priest themselves to organize and pour so much fashion into each and every theme today's one was just incredible it's wonderful to see it and to be a part of it and to immerse myself and learn about it as as well so we are with Ananda who has flown to Sri Lanka all the way from London to be here for the Nur Festival could you please tell us a little bit about why it's so special to you the Nur Festival oh from my childhood I used to come every day for 23 days all the full Festival time and after 84 I flew this country yes and now and then whenever I can I just make a point to come over here and see this one and make a very eventful one and memorable one as well and be a part of the culture yeah just like to carry on with the culture and this same tradition everything is same no different whatsoever this year especially is getting better and better they modifying a little bit and make it more attractive as well for the people privilege to be here this last yeah this actually uh everyone would like to come here but they can't make it because of their background and some problems and the timing is also very very important and the schools have started so from London not many people can come now yeah but I was lucky I had some time off from work and may be able to make this one I'm happy you could make the journey yes thank you so much what you can see behind me is called the sarum it's one of the largest chariots that the Lord murugan will ride on during this ceremony and it's being built little by little every single day so when we came yesterday uh it was built halfway through and today it's a bit more completed so tomorrow the the God and his two wives will be placed on this vehicle and moved around the entire Temple it's huge we are looking at it from far away so I'm very excited to see that it's going to be lit up with lights and just be large and beautiful very exciting to see another interesting component of this festival and a lot of other Hindu processions that can be seen around the island is that all the carriages are maneuvered by the devotees of the temple it is considered to be a privilege to be a part of the group that hoists the Chariots and one that people carry on for [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] decades this has led to a unique phenomenon where the devotees begin to form a distinct muscle as a result of the weight that they carry over a period of time now regardless of how it is formed it is very apparent that the devotees wear this muscle with great [Applause] pride that was incredible I have never witnessed anything like that in my life before to be in the crowd amongst the people and see how much devotion that they have they want to be close to their God and the lady behind me the lady behind me shouted aroha continuously which is like praise the Lord in their language and it's just incredible I can't describe how it feels to be amongst the people and really feel their devotion it's nothing like I've ever experienced in my life before so how long have you guys been traveling through Sri Lanka for we're here now uh 5 days and we will stay here for 3 and 1/2 Weeks 2 and 1/2 weeks three and a half actually yeah yeah oh that's that's nice that's a long time and what made you guys want to come to the north because this is a lot of people don't come up here when they're traveling Sri Lanka cuz we like it to to see other places that people didn't see actually and this is a very special place I think and it's now open till since uh a couple of years so uh we really wanted to see this special place here and and do you think it's very different from the rest of Sri Lanka yes it is actually it's very impressive to see what's going on here on this Festival yeah um yeah all the people together here with the same ideas same culture same thoughts that's it's like one big family actually yeah absolutely so you guys are enjoyed your experience at the festival a yeah absolutely absolutely it's very special thank you thank you so much for visiting uh jasna and the Nur festival and thanks for talking to us so after the festival everybody moves out inside the temple where the roads have been lined with stalls selling all sorts of things from Ice Cream toys sweets local candies food street foods and all sorts of other things that you can buy basically it's a very big [Music] carnival now we are going to try authentic japna street food this is called Karam sundal caram means spicy and we've got the special which is a mix of all sorts of things you've got Dal Mano not D you've got chickpeas Manuka chips fried planter some kind of noodles as well all of it mixed with a spicy sauce and let me just give it a go it's really spicy but there's some flavor in here if you can get to the spice and it's a very interesting combination of textures and flavors and honestly it does feel like a taste of jafna because of all the spices and things like Manuka chips and fried plants which are like popular here in japna I'm tearing up already so this is called bungi and it's another famous street food here at the carnival and it's essentially an Indian inspired street food where they have planton as well as capsicums which are butter fried with a spicy salty chili sauce that is really tasty of the baji my favorite one is the capsicum one cuz when it's fried the inside of the capsicum becomes so creamy and soft it is really [Music] delicious [Applause] how long have you been coming for the Nur Festival well I'm 55 years old I was born in the UK and I've been coming since I was 3 years old so you were born in the UK but you still have a very strong connection to the culture and the uh coming and visiting as often right absolutely because I think Nal um sort of shows the Hinduism at its best and I've seen all sort of foreigners English people um even people within Sri Lanka coming and it's been a a tremendous experience so now I'm coming here with my husband and my children and it's a a it's a fantastic experience and you said you've been coming here as a child as well and so what do you think of the festival throughout the years oh what's been interesting is the way it's evolved so you can see that they've still kept the traditional nature but still encouraging everybody to take part which is fantastic what do you think about the fact that now the festival is something that draws together people from the South not only the Hindu Community but you have the singes as well as the tourists and everybody coming together to celebrate the culture how do you feel about that so I'm old enough to remember when everybody was together anyway yes but now it's even better because everybody's taking part and and really sort of happy so I think it it was that way and we've come back to it full circle I know that that that makes me very happy to hear that someone actually remembers how it was before for and how it is it can be that way again yes absolutely now I want to see more of the English tourists because I saw them when I was three so you know oh back then back then there was always foreigners you know it it was like one of the the great attractions for Sri Lanka and so that's what I want to see as well I think I think we're heading in that direction for sure I think Sri Lanka will be great thank you so much for talking to us so for this video we've decided to stay at jetwing jafna again a place that we frequent very often specifically for us we love this place because of the fact that it's extremely Central for us to explore from this area and I can see why that can be very important for all the other Travelers who are coming here from abroad and maybe that's why this place is always [Music] full another the reason you have to check out jet Ming japna is for their amazing japna Cuisine this is the best place to try out all the varieties of different authentic japna dishes all Under One Roof especially on the nights that they have their japna night so definitely call in and check when it happens it usually happens a couple of times a week and on special occasions and it is a must try good morning guys so today is the 24th day of the Nur festival today is the last St that the Lord murugan will come out of the temple and ride a chariot around the outskirts of the temple so today's Chariot is very special it's the largest most elaborate and most decorated one and it's special because it's been used every year at the on the 24th day and it has a house right in front of the Nal cor specifically built to store it for the rest of the year so today is very special you have a large crowd a lot of these communities are coming from other northern areas from Co there some of them have come here walking barefoot it's 6 6:30 in the morning so it's very early so I'm very excited to see what happens [Music] today [Music] [Music] [Applause] la [Music] [Music] [Applause] yeah so in the south of Sri Lanka during the poer days we have something called danal which is a way of giving back to the community you set up stalls it can be an ice cream danal or a rice and Curry danal and you give food food and drinks away for free and people line up for this and here in jafna we've just found out that there's a similar tradition during the Nur Festival they have stalls like this set up where they give out cool drinks something to eat this is specifically aimed at the people who are walking barefoot and coming from all around the northern Peninsula for this Festival as and this is on the way to the entrance of the temple so that they can have a refreshment as they make their way so these kind of Sals are called tandi forgive me if I mispronounce that but essentially it means removing thirst so it is actually a way of refreshing the people who have been walking a long way so I'm going to go and get one myself even though I haven't walked a lot but they asked me to come here I also want okay I'll get one for you so this is the drink that we're having this is a very popular drink here it's called sarbet or sherbet or sharbat uh it's like a rose flavored drink and they always give it to you with basil seeds or kasakasa seeds uh in there which are kind of like um I would say cheer seeds because they form a gel around it and here we go breaking my fast on a sweet drink M wow I mean it's it's a little sweet yeah but it's not overly sweet and it's very refreshing fro flavored little bit of strawberry flavor milk M go we have some more Travelers here from the Netherland as well as Switzerland guys what did you think of the final day of the Nur Festival it was amazing so much people around and the colors it was unlike anything in in Holland ever yeah did you get a little um uh frightened at the just the Sea of people there were so many people at one point did didn't scare you I don't think it scared us actually it's like really impressive how religious the people are here and how kind they are even though there's a lot going on I mean it's similar to like an when you go to a festival like in Switzerland or the Netherlands but here it's like it's so meaningful you know it's really powerful and you get stimulated all your senses the smelling the ears the eyes it's really incredible you this is your second week in um Sri Lanka for us yes it's my four our first week okay so you've seen a little bit of the rest of the island as well right so what how how what did you think of of jaffna in the north compared to the other part of the island I mean we have just been in jaffna so far but we have seen some beaches and it's really nice the people are amazing you feel like you're welcomed everywhere they really help you they all talk English so you never like feel like no one or you're lost yeah so Jeff is amazing thank you so much guys I hope you have a wonderful trip thank you thanks a lot that was amazing amaz too much wait wait we will give this one to Shan put uh put a little less for me half a spoon half a spoon so to finish off our Festival Adventures we have be invited into the home of another friend and in true jaffna style we're going to finish off another home cook traditional meal on a banana leav sitting here on the floor and I'm looking forward to this it looks delicious do you like pickles yes I love pickles you can put it here that's enough thank you can I have a little bit more part oh yeah sure he wants more and that brings our video to a close I just want to say thank you to our friend SAA for all the help for taking us through this F and you know giving us the best experience also if you want to see more behind the scenes of what's going on beforehand before it comes out here make sure you check out our patreon link below and that brings our Nur Adventures to a close I will see you in the next one bye a special thank you to all our patrons for your continued support if you'd like to see more pts footage as well as bloopers from this trip and be a part of our community then consider joining us on patreon [Music]

Channel: Sheneller

Views: 388,524

Keywords: Sheneller, This is Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Visit Sri Lanka, jaffna sri lanka tourism, jaffna sri lanka vlog, nallur temple jaffna sri lanka, travel jaffna sri lanka, visit jaffna sri lanka, Nallu Festival, Nalur festival, Nalur Jaffna, Nallur Jaffna Sri Lanka, Sheneller Jaffna, Shanella Jaffna, Shanella Nallur, Sheneller Nallur, Things to do in Jaffna, Delft island Jaffna, Longest hindu Festival in Jaffna, Diwali Sri Lanka, Deepawali Sri Lanka

Id: juul7dFRoKc

Length: 29min 30sec (1770 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 10 2023