Author(s) :

Maya Saltzman.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This paper explores the significance of food in Sri Lankan ritual contexts, arguing that certain foods have a unique flexibility and role in ritual ceremonies. Previous research has shown that food in Sri Lankan culture plays an active role in ritual practices. Building on these works, this paper argues that ritual foods exist along a “spectrum of significance”, in which their symbolic meaning varies according to their dependence on ritual context: some foods derive meaning primarily through participation in specific rituals, while others retain broader cultural significance across both sacred and secular domains. This study draws on face-to-face interviews with five participants, all born and raised in Sri Lanka, but now living in New Jersey, USA. In their interviews, each participant discussed their relationships with food, rituals, and spiritual influences, particularly regarding kiribath, rice, honey, and milk. The interview data exemplify that a variety of foods are significant and symbolic, but they are positioned on a spectrum of significance, where some hold significance on their own, and others gain importance through involvement in a ritual. This concept adds to current scholarship by offering a more nuanced methodology to interpret differences in ritual food practices.