Women are forbidden to touch or be seated beside a Buddhist monk. If they are required to pass an object to a monk, it is best to pass it through another male or to hold the object with a tissue. This is generally to avoid developing a craving or attachment to women.
--Kevangelo
10
Flowers are generally not given as gifts, but rather are reserved for times of mourning or for other events such as weddings or religious festivities.
--Kevangelo
10
Black and white are colours reserved for funerals and mourning. Avoid wrapping gifts in these colours.
--Kevangelo
10
Don't wear any clothing that features Buddha or any other deity. It is considered disrespectful and insensitive, and could incur the wrath of authorities. If you have a tattoo of the Buddha, keep it covered.
--Kevangelo
10
Don't share your personal details with strangers. Also, check your personal stuff all the time you travel. Give special attention to credit cards and use card payments all the time and carry less cash
--Sushani
00
Don't travel much by public bus as they are crowded. Therefore you can feel tired and uncomfortable.
--Sushani
11
Some temples prohibit photography. Avoid taking photos inside shopping malls and inside tea factories (outside is okay). Be especially careful in Fort, Colombo (except when you're on the beach). If local soldiers are standing guard, put your camera away.
--Kevangelo
00
Public displays of affection (PDA), such as kissing and/or hugging, may be frowned upon. In Sri Lanka, PDA is considered to be private behavior. Holding hands and affection between parents and their children are allowed.
--Kevangelo
00
Please be cautious when buying food from the streets. Always check the surroundings of the shops where you are willing to buy food. Most of the hotels and restaurants are clean but concern when purchasing from outdoor areas. The other important thing is to drink water from sealed bottles
--Sushani
00
Tuk-tuk drivers carry water in wine bottles. If you pay close attention on your tuk-tuk journeys, you'll notice that many tuk-tuk drivers have a bottle of wine, vodka or whisky that they sip from. Even the locals do it. But no, they are not drinking and driving! Apparently they keep water in bottle.
--Kevangelo
00
Try to accept any refreshments offered, as refusing them is considered impolite
--Kevangelo
00
Most Sri Lankan food is spicy and hot. As they add many natural ingredients to the food they are always healthy. Chilies, cinnamon, turmeric, coconut milk, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, and onions are highly used as food flavors. Make sure to visit Sri Lanka village areas to get the real taste.
--Sushani
00
The street dogs are rather friendly. In general, street dogs don't really get an amazing rep, but from our experience, they're generally quite friendly in Sri Lanka. Usually they can be seen having a walk around the streets or simply sitting down in the sun minding their own business.
--Kevangelo
00
It is common for Sri Lankans to eat food with their hands. If they encourage you to do so, only use your right hand to hold the food and pass it to your mouth. The left hand is reserved for cleaning or holding the plate you eat from.
--Kevangelo
00
Sri Lankan people eat rice and curry at least twice a day. So they prepare different curries daily with different ingredients. Beetroot, carrot, cabbage, pumpkin, beans, pineapple, jackfruit, and brinjal curries are popular in every household and can be purchase in many hotels.
--Sushani
00
Hotels aren't always hotels
Yep, this is a confusing one. A cultural quirk of Sri Lanka is that places like cafés, restaurants and bars sometimes adopt the word ‘hotel’ into their names, even if they don’t actually offer any accommodation. Why? Reasons behind this are unclear.
--Kevangelo
00
Some households, it is norm to leave a little bit of food on one’s plate to indicate that one does not want a second serving of food.Eating all the food on your plate indicates that you are still hungry. If you are given another serving but do not want to eat it, it is acceptable to leave it untouch
--Kevangelo
00
As Sri Lanka is an island it is surrounded by sea. Therefore it is the best place to taste seafood. Seafood can be purchased in any coastal area at reasonable prices. Prawns are well cooked and make sure to taste a couple of fish dishes that are native to Sri Lanka
--Sushani
00
Shaking your head means yes, not no. Both the Indian head bob and the Sri Lankan head waggle are a manner of communicating without words. In India, the bob is a side-to-side movement and in Sri Lanka it’s a figure of eight. That means shaking of the head actually means yes!
--Kevangelo
