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Sinhala  |
| |
| Total population |
15,000,000
Other sources claim 13,597,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Sri Lanka 14,100,000[2] Other sources claim 13,342,000[1]
Other significant populations: |
 Saudi Arabia | 400,000 | [3] |  Australia | 73,849 | [4] |  Thailand | 67,000 | [1] |  United Arab Emirates | 50,000 | [5] |  Italy | 45,575 | [6] |  Malaysia | 25,000 | [1] |  Oman | 24,000 | [1] |  Singapore | 20,000 | [1] |  Qatar | 17,000 | [1] |  Norway | 13,000 | [1] |  Libya | 12,000 | [1] |  United States | 11,000 | [1] |  Cyprus | 5,400 | [1] |  Canada | 4,700 | [1] |  India | 3,400 | [1] |  Maldives | 2,100 | [1] |  Brunei | 1,100 | [1] |  Kenya | 400 | [1] | |
| Languages |
| Sinhala, English, Tamil |
| Religion |
| Predominantly Theravada Buddhism.
Minority Christianity and Hinduism. |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Indo-Aryans, Sri Lankan Tamil, Veddahs, Bengali, |
The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language, and number approximately 15 million people with the vast majority found in Sri Lanka. More than 400,000 live in other countries, mainly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom[7].
[edit] Etymology
The Sinhalese are also known as "Hela" or "Sinhela". These synonyms find their origins in the two words Sinha (meaning "lion") and Hela (meaning "pristine"). The name Sinhala translates to "lion people" and refers to the myths regarding the descent of the legendary founder of the Sinhalese people, the prince Vijaya. The last royal dynasty on the island was the Sinha (Lion) royal dynasty and the word Sinha finds its origins here.
[edit] Distribution
Percentage of Sinhalese people per district based on 2001 or 1981 (
cursive) census.
[8]
[edit] Sri Lanka
The vast majority of the Sinhalese live in Sri Lanka (mostly in the south and west of the island).
[edit] Expatriates
There are significant expatriate communities in Southeast Asia, as well as the Middle East, where Sri Lankans are often employed as guest workers. Smaller communities also exist in Australia, Europe (notably the UK and Italy) and in North America (in particular United States and Canada).
[edit] History
[edit] Prehistory
Legendary accounts recorded in the Indian epic saga, the Sanskritic Ramayana, discuss mythic tales of deities battling over the fate of the ancient island of Lanka (presumably modern Sri Lanka), including that of the legendary King Raavana. The name of the island and its various peoples are often traced to the people and places named in the saga, or their supposed analogues.
[edit] Ancient period
According to local legend, the Sinhalese are descended from the exiled Prince Vijaya and his party of several hundred who arrived on the island between 543 and 483 BC[citation needed]. The people arrived in Sri Lanka after being forced from the Sinhapura kingdom in north west India. The origin legend and early recorded history of the Buddhist Sinhalese is chronicled in two historic documents, the Mahavamsa, written in Pāli around the 4th century BC, and the much later Chulavamsa (probably penned in the 13 century CE by the Buddhist monk Dhammakitti). These are ancient sources which cover the histories of the powerful ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. The Mahavansa describes the existence of fields of rice and reservoirs, indicating a well developed agrarian society. The oral tradition of the Sinhalese people also speaks of many royal dynasties prior to the Sinha royal dynasty: Manu, Tharaka, Mahabali, Raavana, etc. Many Sinhalese have mixed with the colonizing Portuguese and English. The Sinhalese have spread to other countries like the Maldives and Mauritius.
Buddhism was introduced to the Sinhalese from India by Mahinda, son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, during the 3rd century BC. Buddhism has since been closely tied to both the Sinhalese identity and the history of Sri Lanka.
[edit] Medieval period
[edit] Modern period
The Sinhalese are identified through their Sinhala language and ancestral heritage as well as their Buddhist faith. These culture complexes set them apart from the main ethnic minority of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tamils.
A policy of universal healthcare provision has raised average life expectancy to 72 years. Female emancipation reflects many social changes including greater parity between the sexes. Prominent female politicians include former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The Sinhalese have a stable birth rate and a population that has been growing at a slow pace relative to India and other Asian countries. The Sinhalese make up about 74% of the Sri Lankan population.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Language
The spread of Sinhalese language in the United States
The Sinhala language, also known as "Helabasa", has two forms: spoken and written. The written form uses many words of Sanskrit origin, whereas the spoken form is unique. Many early Sinhala texts such as the Hela Atuwa were destroyed after their translation into Pali. Other significant Sinhala texts include Amar Wathura, Kavu Silumina, Jathaka Potha and Sala Liheeniya.
[edit] Literature
[edit] Cuisine
[edit] Sports
[edit] Folklore
[edit] Religion
Most of the Sinhalese (93%) are Buddhists. They are the only ethnic group in South Asia to adhere to the Theravada sect of Buddhism. There are also a minority of Sinhalese Christians which are mainly in the Roman Catholic denomination. Their cultural centre is Negombo.
[edit] Genetic relationships
Two studies on blood genetic markers found no significant genetic difference between the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan tamils.[9]. A study looking at genetic variation of the FUT2 gene in the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan tamil population, also found similar genetic backgrounds for both ethnic groups. With little genetic flow from other neighbouring asian population groups.[10] Studies have also found no significant genetics difference with regards to blood group and single-nucleotide polymorphism between the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil population.[11][12]Thus, the evidence suggests that the legend of the sinhalese being the descendents of Prince Vijaya and his companions may not be true, or that the genetic contribution by Prince Vijay and his companions has been erased by the contributions of other population groups, such as the Tamils and Bengalis, over 2000 years.
A study in 2007 found similar frequencies of the allele HLA-A*02 in Sinhalese (7.4%) and North Indian subjects (6.7%).HLA-A*02 is a rare allele which has a relatively high frequency in North Indian populations and is considered to be a novel allele among the North Indian population. This suggests possible North Indian ancestry for the Sinhalese.[13]
[edit] Major Holidays
The celebration of the New Year on April 14 is an important tradition.
[edit] Education
The Sinhalese have a very high regard for education, as such the first lesson of writing for young children is done in a ceremony by an important family elder at an auspicious time.
[edit] Architecture
[edit] References
[edit] Other References
- De Silva, K.M. History of Sri Lanka (Univ. of Calif. Press, 1981)
- Gunasekera, Tamara. Hierarchy and Egalitarianism: Caste, Class, and Power in Sinhalese Peasant Society (Athlone, 1994).
- Roberts, Michael. Sri Lanka: Collective Identities Revisited (Colombo-Marga Institute, 1997).
- Wickremeratne, Ananda. Buddhism and Ethnicity in Sri Lanka: A Historical Analysis (New Delhi-Vikas Publishing House, 1995).
- Fernando, Basil Thoughts of a Sinhalese about some Sinhala habits (Asian Human Rights Commission, 2006).]
[edit] External links
Sri Lanka 14,100,000[2] 
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
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