The intangible culture illustrated by the use of clothing in domestic rituals of traditional sinhalese society

Abstract

In any society, all the physical (tangible) and immaterial (intangible) phenomena artificially created on the natural environment by the members of that society belong to its unique culture. Buildings, vehicles, food, clothes, dagobas, statues, etc. are examples of tangible culture and rituals, beliefs, folklore, etc. are examples of intangible culture. There is an inseparable relationship between the tangible and intangible aspects of a culture, even if such classifications have been made based on the prevailing theoretical and practical usage. In the creation of any physical product or material, appropriate technical knowledge and skill should be used, and in the implementation of any immaterial practice, physical products or materials should be used. This research investigates the way in which clothing belonging to tangible culture is used in rituals belonging to intangible culture. Accordingly, the objective of this research is to examine the way in which clothes were used in the main life events, such as birth, puberty, marriage and death, in the traditional Sinhalese society and the inseparable relationship between tangible culture and intangible culture. The research problem is “how the intangible side of Sri Lankan traditional culture is illustrated by the use of clothes in domestic rituals?”. The secondary source was widely used for data collection, and interviews and direct observation were slightly used to make the primary data more reliable. To analyze the data and draw conclusions, a qualitative research methodology was used.