You are going to live in Sri Lanka for a while, so you have no excuse for not finishing this list!
As obvious as this is, English is widely spoken and the temptation not to learn any other language is too big. You will win the heart of Sri Lankans if you make a small effort to communicate in their native languages. Here is a little help to get you started:
Tamil: Hello (Vanakkam), Good (Sari), Thank you (Romba nandri), yes (Aam), No (Il lay)
Sinhalese: Hello (hello), Good (Subha), Thank you (istutii), Yes (ouu), No (nae).
Sri Lanka, as in any other country, has traditional theatre and folklore. Wherever you are living, you should be able to find some, but Kandy, the ancient royal city, is famous for it.
Sri Lanka has many different cities and sites where you can imagine how things appeared in the past. If you have a free weekend (or maybe to celebrate a Poya day - full moon - next to the weekend), you should make this your plan. Maybe some of the most interesting spots to visit are the Fort of Galle, a vestige from the colonial era with remains of the Portuguese fortifications, and Anuradhapura. Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka’s first capital and it has ruins that around 1,000 years old!
Between December and May, pilgrims take on the four hour route to climb Adam’s Peak, also known as Sri Pada (sacred footprint). It receives this name from the enormous “footprint” rock formation that is found near the peak. In Christian and Muslim tradition it is the footprint of Adam and in Buddhism, it is that of Buddha. The view from the peak is specially amazing at dawn.
Sri Lanka has one of the biggest elephant orphanages in the world, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, half way between Colombo and Kandy. It has more than 80 elephants nowadays and it’s designed to recreate their natural habitat as much as possible. You can watch the herd bathing, feed baby elephants and learn about all aspects of their care. All entry fees go towards the running of the orphanage.
In Sri Lanka there is one main religion - Buddhism. However, Hindus, Muslims and Christians can also be found in Sri Lanka. It is the ideal place to get to know a variety of religious rituals better. You can do so in the oldest mosque in Colombo, the mosque of Jami Ul Alfar or in the buddhist Temple of the Tooth, in Kandy, located in the Royal Palace. This temple gets its name from the relic of Buddha’s tooth preserved there. An iconic Buddhist festival held in Kandy in July or August consists of dancing and an elaborately decorated elephant parading the city, bearing the tooth of Buddha.
You heard right, the Tamil and Sinhalese New Year is in April, when the sun changes the house of Pisces to the house of Aries and it is observed by most of the population. It is a national holiday and several rituals take place according to very concrete astrological calculations.
It is the oldest living, human planted, tree in the world with a known planting date (288BC). Legend says that it was grown from a branch of the tree in India where Buddha attained enlightenment. It is one of the most sacred relics of Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
To visit all these recommended places, travel by train. Both trains and stations haven’t changed in 50 years. Really. They are cheap, adorable, slow, and always packed to the roof. You will get a wonderful view of the country and enjoy the company of smiling Sri Lankans.
If you are lucky enough to be invited to a Sri Lankan wedding you have been accepted as a Sri Lankan after some time living here. You will get to enjoy the traditional food and ceremony and the beauty of the dresses. But remember! In many countries in Asia, from Japan to Sri Lanka, white is the colour of the dead, so avoid it as much as possible!