The 73rd Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence was celebrated at the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt am Main on 4 February, 2021. Due to the current lockdown in Germany, the participation of the event was limited to a few guests including the Honorary Consuls of Sri Lanka for Rhineland Pfalz and Saarland, a few members of the German-Sri Lankan Business Council and the Staff of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka.
The official ceremony was inaugurated with the hoisting of the National Flag by Consul General Madurika Joseph Weninger amidst beating of ‘magul bera’ followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the observance of two minutes silence in honour of all patriots who have sacrificed their lives to preserve and protect the freedom, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
The lighting of the traditional oil lamp was lit by Consul General, the Hon. Consuls and the Staff of the Consulate.
Multi-Religious observances were conducted by the religious dignitaries representing the Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Islamic religious offering blessings for our nation and its people.
An excerpt from ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ the National Policy Framework of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the National Day Messages of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka were read in Sinhala, Tamil and English by the staff of the Consulate General.
Addressing the gathering, Consul General, Madurika Joseph Weninger extended a warm welcome and her sincere gratitude to religious dignitaries including the few guests present. Reflecting on the President’s vision for Sri Lanka, outlined in the national policy document “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”: to ensure that our future generation will become productive citizens by nurturing them with the required knowledge, skills and abilities; the Consul General informed that the Consulate is developing contacts with Universities, Research Institutions to bring in skills development, training technological knowledge and educational exchanges.
Consul General applauded the Sri Lankan community in Germany, Germans of Sri Lankan origin and German friends, for their continued support and feedback to further refine the consular services to the public.
She expressed hope that the latter part of 2021 will be a year of recovery and requested the expatriate community to support Sri Lanka’s small and medium-sized enterprises, which will help to create jobs, promote investment and improve the business climate in Sri Lanka. This will further strengthen the friendly relations between Sri Lanka and Germany.
A special video highlighting the key sectors of the Sri Lankan economy was presented to the audience; followed by a brief quiz to which the guests responded enthusiastically.
A presentation was made on the ‘Highlights of Events and Achievements’ of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in the year 2020 to date. The programme also included Travel and Tea Documentary Films, depicting the breath-taking natural sights in Sri Lanka and the fine quality of Ceylon Tea.
A ‘Tea corner’ was set up by the Consulate offering specialty teas from the 7 regions of Sri Lanka and gift bags containing Ceylon Tea and Sri Lankan sweetmeats were presented to the guests.
The Event concluded with a traditional Sri Lankan Lunch hosted by the Consul General.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Frankfurt
08 February, 2021
