Essay About My Heritage

My heritage.

What does your heritage mean to you? My heritage is my identity; a Sri Lankan Muslim. I am proud to be the fifth generation Sri Lankan Moor in my family. Growing up abroad I have learned to treasure my heritage immensely and made an effort to understand it because it identifies me.

Religion is a vital part of the Sri Lankan heritage and identification due to the abundant number of religious sites. Yes, Buddhism is the dominant religion, however, due to my ancestors’ settlements, my family has chosen to follow the Islamic path. In the 7th century, Arab traders came to Sri Lanka and married Sri Lankan Sinhala women who had to convert to Islam according to the Islamic protocol. This was the first time Islam and Sri Lankan ethnicity merged. By the 8th century, Arab traders had majority control over the Indian Ocean and some of them decided to settle in Sri Lanka where they continued

These are all cooked separately. It is then packaged in a banana leaf and cooked again. It is commendable due to the time it takes to prepare, hence why it is highly appreciated by Sri Lankans. This dish is eaten with my family on important days like religious days, birthdays or large family gatherings.

Another way to define a Sri Lankan is by calling them tea addicts. Having a cup of tea in the morning is crucial even if it is going to cost you your life. When guests come over, as the host it is your duty to prepare a cup of milk tea and serve it in your best tea set. Hence, why Sri Lanka produces world class tableware like Noritake. We have adapted to this lifestyle due to the Britsh producing tea on Sri Lankan soil. We also take Indonasian flavours and infuse it into out rices to create the famous dish called nasigorge. This was brought to Sri Lanka when the Indonesians came to Sri Lanka to work in the tea