Lanka demands global holiday

8220;Sri Lanka will be seeking support for a resolution in the UN this year to declare Vesak full moon day as a holiday worldwide,8221; the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Sri Lanka8217;s official holidays for 1999 show 26 days off,including at least three each to mark Hindu and Islamic celebrations, two for Christians, and 14 to commemorate Buddhist anniversaries.

Each full moon is a Buddhist holiday for all Sri Lankans. While new year8217;s day is not normally a statutory holiday, this year8217;s January 1 had a full moon so it qualified as yet another day off.

Sri Lankans are granted two days8217; leave inApril to mark the traditional new year celebrated by the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil communities.

However, since most employees return to their homes in the provinces on extended leave, work at most institutions in the capital Colombo comes to a virtual standstill for most of April.