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
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
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
Sri Lankans, and especially the Sinhalese, believe that mothers-to-be experience a longing to eat certain kinds of foods, and that if these cravings are not satisfied, it would harm her health or the child she is carrying. This is known as dola-duka.
--Kevangelo
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
Objects should be passed with the right hand or with both hands together. The left hand is considered to be reserved for cleaning.
--Kevangelo
00
Try to accept any refreshments offered, as refusing them is considered impolite
--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
Keeping the doors open after funerals It is believed that a home’s doors must not be closed until the seventh day after a funeral because the passed spirit wanders the house in which its body was kept and must therefore have free exit from the house at any time, lest it be trapped in the house.
--Kevangelo
