Dear Italy...Greetings from Sri Lanka!

Dear Italy...Greetings from Sri Lanka!

Hello friends,
I am very much fine. How are you all doing?

Every country has its own set of national symbols. so does my country.
So today I am gonna present to you some general information about them.
There are official symbols as well as unofficial symbols.

first, I would like to talk about the national anthem. it is "Sri Lanka Matha" (mother Sri Lanka).
It was composed by Mr.Ananda Samarakoon in 1940. But those days Sri Lanka was still under the British flag. In, this song became the national anthem. It was sung for the first time in the fourth anniversary of independence day on 04 February 1952.
I have added the youtube link so you can listen to it. play here

Next one is the national flag

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I think you may have already seen it in some articles of other Sri Lankan greeters .
With the lion holding a sword in its right forepaw in a dark maroon background. It represents the Sinhalese and the strength of the nation.
The four golden bo leaves represent four Buddhist virtues (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity).
The yellow/golden border represents Buddhism while orange stripe represents the Tamil ethnicity and Green stripe represents the Moor ethnicity.

National Emblem

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It is used by the government for administrative purposes. This one also has the same lion symbol which is in the national flag.
There is a circle of lotus petals around the lion. And also there are some paddy symbols which represent prosperity. In the top, there is a Dhamma Chakra symbol and sun and moon in the bottom.

National flower

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It is Bluewater Lily(Nymphaea nouchali).
It was declared as the national flower on 26 th February 1986. This flower grows in almost everywhere on the island. This flower represents purity, spirituality and discipline.

National Tree

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Ceylon Ironwood(Mesua ferrea) is the national tree. In Sinhala, we call it as "naa" tree and was declared the national tree of Sri Lanka on 26 February 1986. Some local people consider this tree is some kind of divine and spiritual thing. This tree has a close relationship with many religions in our country.

National Bird

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It is not just chicken. It is a Sri Lankan Junglefowl(Gallus lafayetii). This bird is very colourful and really beautiful. They live in wild areas, national park ...etc. I also have seen once or twice in our village.
This bird is an endemic bird. Junglefowl is a bit longer than domestic chickens.

National Animal

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Grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura)is the national animal. But I saw there are tons of articles on the web saying it is lion or elephant. But it is not.

National Butterfly

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Sri Lankan birdwing (Troides darsius) is the national butterfly. This one is also endemic and the largest butterfly in the country.

National Gemstone

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It is Blue Sapphire. In October 2003 it was declared as the national gemstone.

National Sport

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Volleyball is the national sport. It was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1916 and was declared as a national sport in 1991.
And also there is a sub sport called beach volleyball. It is also a super fun game.

So these are the official national symbols of Sri Lanka and I think you may have enjoyed the article.

Thank you very much for reading.
And also thank you very much @girolamomarotta for organizing this event.

Have a nice day all.

#dearitaly #srilanka #history