"Weekly Contest 07 || The Diary Game || Spent quality time with my neighbors."

Yesterday was Poson Poya Day for Sri Lankan, and it is a public holiday. This day is very significant for us because it was the day Arhath Mahinda Thero introduced Buddhism to our country. Every Vesak and Poson Poya days, Sri Lankans organize various 'dansals' where foods, snacks, drinks, ice creams, and other commodities are freely distributed to the public in memory of Lord Buddha’s giving away act. Within a kilometer, there are countless dansals, and poor and rich people alike eagerly stand in long queues to receive these goods free. I'm sure people in other countries will be surprised to read this, because they don't know about our people's hospitable. Yes, it is my people's character: they give without hoping anything return.

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Morning

I awoke that day with a fresh and happy heart since our scheme members also had organized a 'manioc dansala' in collaboration with Poson Poya. We were asked to be at our welfare building by 9.00 a.m., so I quickly finished all of my routine chores and prepared herbal porridge and chickpeas for breakfast. Later, I completed my pet's routine and handed it over to my son for care. I was a little late arriving because I had a lot of tasks to complete.

When I arrived, a large crowd was already working. Some were peeling manioc, some were cutting it into small pieces and washing it, others were boiling it, and another group was serving tea to the volunteers. I also joined them and we worked together, sharing jokes and having a good time.

Afternoon

We had around 350 kg of manioc and boiled it in 10 large pots, as you can see in my photos. Another team was preparing coconut sambal to go with the manioc. Inside, people were scraping coconuts, cutting chilies and onions, and preparing eco-friendly paper plates to offer manioc to the public. At lunchtime, no one went home instead we all enjoyed manioc and coconut sambal together.

At 3:30 p.m., dansala started and offered manioc to the crowd. I couldn’t take pictures of the long line because I was busy helping out. We later heard that another group nearby was offering roti with katta sambal, so four of us went there to try it. I got two rotis, but I gave them to my pregnant daughter instead of eating them.

Evening

Around 7:30 p.m., while still working at the dansala, my son asked us to go to the temple as it is customary on Poya day. My husband stayed behind since he was one of the organizers, but I went with my children. We offered flowers and lit incense sticks and clay oil lamps to worship the Buddha.

That night, I went to bed feeling joyful and peaceful because we got to spend quality time with my neighbors. This type of work allowed us to strengthen our friendships and get to know each other better. The concept of dansal warms my heart because it allows us to honor Buddha's charitable character by providing food to those in need. It's a lovely ritual that brings our community together while reminding us of the importance of charity and kindness. Sharing these experiences with everyone made the day genuinely memorable, and I felt a strong sense of gratitude.

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