Colombo, December 13: Being one of the most Westernized cities in the South Asian region, Christmas is generally gay and colorful in the Sri Lankan capital. Crowds throng hotels and malls and at the Galle Face sea front, while the devout attend midnight mass.
But this year, due to the coronavirus epidemic, it is likely to be extremely low key – a family affair essentially. Social distancing and masks take the fun away besides restricting the number of people who can congregate at public places. Shopping malls which are brightly lit every year for the season are now decorated in a more subdued way. Clientele in the malls is also scarce.
Tang Lu of Xinhua captures a couple of scenes in Food Street, which give us an idea of what it might be like at Christmas time.
