Pasku

Pasku is a Roman Catholic Passion Play which originated in the Catholic areas of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka in the late 19th century. Soon after, it was performed in the Sinhales speaking Catholic regions of the western coastal region as well. The play began in Passion week and lasted for the entire Holy Week. In some congregation, the actors are replaced by life-size statues depicting the central characters in the episodes of Christ's death and resurrection. The statues move and create stage pictures above and behind six-foot high temporary walls. Painted scenes ascend to nearly twenty feet behind the figures. a reciter stands between the audience seated on the ground and the statues. Interpreting each scene of the well known biblical stories. In some locales actors wear historical costumes of the period. Whether statues or live actors are used. Performances in corporate Christian church music and some times western musical instruments, such as the organ.

Several notable plays were written and produced by K. Lawrence Perera of Boralessa whose ambitions was to imitate the famous Oberammergau Passion Play in 1923 which drew together unschooled actors from among virtually every humble profession of the area. Over a hundred performers participated to create the epic. The stage consisted of five sections arranged like RUKADA puppet theatre with a central acting area and side wings stretching out to the right and left.

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