Not all Sri Lankans are Sinhalese but about three-quarters are. In 1975, 432 Sri Lankans came to America to live. Many Sri Lankans came to America during the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1990s. They live in New York City which has the largest number of them, then central New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. Sri Lankan Buddhists tend to live near others of them who are Buddhists.
The second generation of Sri Lankans are used to the American culture. Parents often send their children to religious courses in the U.S.
The Sri Lankans eat curries, fish, rice, soup and vegetables for example. Coconut milk is a very important ingredient for their meals. They have holidays each month when there is a full moon. With Buddhists, May is the most important full moon holy day as Gautama Buddha was born and passed away then. Sinhala is the main language spoken amongst the Sinhalese.
The main Sinhalese caste is goyigama. Sri Lankan Americans do not use caste limitations when mixing with Americans. They live in single units but not with relatives. Relatives may come to live in the same community though.
Sri Lankan Americans are well-educated and most have been to colleges. A lot of Sri Lankans who come to live in America do so because of better job opportunities. Many of them have their own businesses.
Children can refuse the marriage partner chosen by their parents even though marriages are arranged. The Sri Lankans have nuclear families of husbands, wives and their children who are not married.
Buddhists and Hindus as well as Muslims and Christians are found amongst the Sri Lankans. The Sinhalese, however, are Buddhist. Buddhism is mainly the cultural glue for them in a culture saturated by commercialism.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to work mightily in Sinhalese communities in the United States, blessing them in every way.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the Sinhalese people a love for God's word and a desire to spread its influence.
Pray for signs and wonders among them and for great breakthroughs with a rapid multiplication of disciples and house churches.
Pray for bold workers who are driven by the love of the Holy Spirit to go to them.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among the Sinhalese in the United States.
www.everyculture.com/multi/Sr-Z/sri-lankan-americans.html
Scripture Prayers for the Sinhalese in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Sinhalese |
People Name in Country | Sinhalese |
Pronunciation |
sin-uh-LEEZE
|
Alternate Names | Cingalese; Singalese; Singhalese; Sinhala; सिनलीज़ |
Population this Country | 5,300 |
Population all Countries | 400,000 |
Total Countries | 17 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 14196 |
ROP3 Code | 109305 |
Country | India | |||||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||||||||
Total States on file | 16 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
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Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||||||||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 16 |
Tamil Nadu 1,800 | |
Delhi 1,100 | |
Maharashtra 1,000 | |
Kerala 400 | |
Gujarat 300 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 100 | |
Andhra Pradesh 90 | |
Jharkhand 60 | |
West Bengal 60 | |
Puducherry 50 | |
Karnataka 50 | |
Himachal Pradesh 40 | |
Telangana 30 | |
Uttarakhand 30 | |
Chhattisgarh 20 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
100.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Sinhala (5,300 speakers) |
Language Code | sin Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Sinhala (5,300 speakers) |
Language Code | sin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Sinhala |
Primary Language: Sinhala
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1739-1966) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1776-1991) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1823-2009) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 The Road Provides - Shutterstock All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |