Kandy Esala Perahera

I've been among some huge crowds in many different countries over the years. I've filed most of these experiences into the archives under "don't do this again".  But yet, I've done it again. The Kandy Festival of the Tooth, was record breaking for a couple of reasons. The size of the crowd and their conduct.

It's a family festival, so no booze, no drugs, no bad behaviour. It's also the biggest festival in Sri Lanka whereby people from all over the country descend on Kandy for a week of festivities culminating each evening with a street parade. To get a viewing position, the financially strapped tourist and indeed the locals have to find a spot just after lunch and then hang around until the start of the parade at 7pm. The folk were impeccably behaved. They're were polite, friendly and patient as they waited for the action and the highlight of the evening to appear; the casket replica of the Tooth Relic, paraded on the head of the chief elephant.

Yolanda and I arrived about 3pm and positioned ourselves in a side street, just a few metres from the barricades. It seemed like a good idea at the time, providing a quick escape when it all got too much. However, as the kick off time approached, a police bus manoeuvred its way in front of us, parallel to barricade, essentially blocking any chance we had of viewing the parade. We persevered for a few hours and managed to see some performers from a distance, but alas no photos. I've found a few royalty free ones online that show some of the action that we witnessed. Jugglers, fire and whip dancers and many elephants all lavishly adorned and lit with LEDS, moved along the street led by a groups of drummers. It was indeed a spectacle, but after seeing one too many elephants that didn't seem to be having as good a time as their human counterparts, I decided it was time to leave.