Human Values in Kohombā Kankāriya: A Social Anthropological Overview Based on Preparatory Stage

This paper attempts to provide a holistic assessment about human values in the preparatory stage of Kohombā kankāriya, a traditional folk religious ritual of Sri Lanka, which is held aspiring towards future well being and prosperity. Collective consciousness encompasses the Kohombā kankāriya consists of vast social, political and cultural issues developed over hundreds of years. Exploring the background of the scope, paper identifies highlighted four elements: purpose, religion, dedication (pē kirĮma), and community collaboration as matrixes of human values in the Kohombā kankāriya's preparatory customs and beliefs, and attempts to identify human values, which guide those customs and beliefs. Thus, scrutinizing religious, customary, political, and artistic aspects, paper applies initial discussions of the Schwartz theory to analyse human values comprehend in four major events of preparatory stage: dedication of first harvest (agahas ven kirĮma), dedication of trees (ruk pē KirĮma), planting of the pillar (kap situvĮma), and visiting for dry food collection (pol bulate yāma). The analysis concludes that human values activate in the preparatory stage of Kohombā kankāriya tend towards conservation and self-transcendence value dimensions, which cause communal welfare.