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FEATURE | EASTERN HORIZON 31

Celebrations end with ritual anointing events 2.2 Traditional String Puppet Drama to Advise the
often held at temples, followed by leaving home Public on how to Respond to the Pandemic: One
at an auspicious time for one’s own vocation. As practitioner of traditional string puppet drama
a measure to prevent the spread of the virus, the has produced four short video clips to educate
government requested the public to restrict the the public on responsible behavior to prevent
celebrations to be done within the family with the spread of the virus. He uses the traditional
no visits of the extended family and relatives, puppet drama characters and characters from
community gatherings or seeing neighbors, thus contemporary life to convey the message. Although
missing the most important cultural attributes of string puppet dramas are traditionally performed
the celebrations. inside darkened spaces using purpose-built stages,
these episodes take place outdoors in daylight,
2. Examples of the Use of Living Heritage to Cope creating a sense of realism that makes it easy to
with the Current Situation convey the message across to the viewer. EH

2.1 Chanting of the Ratana Sutta (Discourse of the Relevant links:
Precious Jewels) by Buddhist monks to ward-off Chanting of the Ratana Sutta:
the pandemic: Chanting of selected discourses of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns__9L-AXz0
the Buddha known as suttas (sutra in Sanskrit), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHQLDvmhWpY
by monks to protect people from natural
calamities has been a deeply-rooted cultural Four string puppet video clips:
practice in Sri Lanka since the ancient times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpICM3fHuMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JgE7S84Ci8
Accordingly, Buddhist monks at numerous https://www.facebook.com/production.naviya99/
monasteries chanted the Ratana Sutta for several videos/221879112493514/ https://www.facebook.
days. The major chanting event began on 18th March com/production.naviya99/videos/216006639640241/
at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in the World
Heritage City of Kandy that was continued for seven
days and nights, with the sanctified water being
sprinkled over the country from the helicopter.

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