New Year: the Sinhalese and Tamil cultures celebrate their New Year in April with elephant races, coconut games and other fun activities like pillow fights. It’s a great time to visit the northern regions, when peace pervades this otherwise tense part of Sri Lanka.

Vesak: this very important Buddhist holiday honours the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Held on the full moon, the entire island lights up at night with bamboo lanterns and colourful light displays that tell tales of the Buddha’s life.

Poson: this major Buddhist celebration falls on the full moon of June. Devotees flock to temples in huge droves to make merit and take part in ancient rituals. This festival is one of the best times to witness Sri Lankan Buddhism in action.