Church Stages Inculturated Biblical Story Of Three Kings

For the feast of the Epiphany, the St. Mary´s Holy Childhood Society used an ancient form of drama to convey the story of the Magi visiting the Infant Jesus.

In Marawila, 50 kilometers north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, ´nagadam´ performers stage Rajathun Kattuwa (three kings), a local adaptation of the story of the Three Kings, or Magi, who offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus. The play, said to have been first performed in 1761, is done in the traditional dramatic form of ‘nadagam,’ which features performers singing to the accompaniment of drums.

About 900 parishioners including parents and children crowded into the school hall next to Our Lady of Presentation Church in Marawila as nadagam performers sang and played drums for four hours on the evening of Jan. 11, the first Sunday after the Jan. 6 feast. Marawila is a coastal farming village 50 kilometers north of Colombo.

Rohana Samansiri, who directed the drama, told UCA News, “The early Catholics made use of this traditional cultural form to spread the faith.”

Samansiri, 52, said he was happy to “offer a glimpse of a rich tradition of local Christianity through Bible stories to the people, especially children.” He expected the performance to help the children appreciate local Catholic traditions.

The drama, Rajathun Kattuwa (three kings), is based on the biblical story of the Three Kings, or Magi, who offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.

Performers arrived on the stage singing to the accompaniment of drums. This local form of musical drama was introduced from southern India in the 17th century and gained popularity largely among coastal Sinhalese and Tamil communities, according to Church sources. They date the first Rajathun Kattuwa performance to 1761. The 19th century saw a growth in Catholic nadagam, partly as a way to make the Church more familiar to local people.

Rajitha Priyadarshana, 19, president of the St. Mary´s Holy Childhood Society, called the drama “an enriching experience” for the young. “Our knowledge is not that vast when it comes to religious things,” he told UCA News. “We should have nadagam like this often, so children and young people will learn more.”

Children UCA News talked with agreed the play helped them gain a better understanding about the events that surrounded the birth of Jesus.

Kavindu Asantha, 14, said that after watching the play he tried to explain to his inquiring brother the importance of the visit of the wise men to the manger to worship the infant Jesus.

In Marawila, 50 kilometers north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, ´nagadam´ performers stage Rajathun Kattuwa (three kings), a local adaptation of the story of the Three Kings, or Magi, who offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus. The play, said to have been first performed in 1761, is done in the traditional dramatic form of ‘nadagam,’ which features performers singing to the accompaniment of drums.

A primary school student, who gave his name as Nimantha, said the incidents that took place around Jesus´ birth are now very clear in his mind, and the performance made him feel that Jesus was “a great Lord.”

Father Felix Colombage, the parish priest, was glad that young people had the chance to get to know the roots of their Christian faith with a “local” flavor.

“I think this is a good thing, as other people usually identify us as descendants of the West,” he said, referring to a persistent belief among some people of other faiths that Christianity is “foreign” to Sri Lanka.

Milan Peiris, 55, who came from nearby Chilaw town, recalled that when he was young, Rajathun Kattuwa performances stretched over three days. People watched them sitting on mats laid under coconut trees.

“When we were young we too enjoyed it,” he said, adding that the organizers had done a good job in reviving the nadagam.

Tickets for the event cost 50 rupees (US$0.50) each, with the money to be put aside to fund the 20th-anniversary celebration of the parish Holy Childhood Society, which falls later in the year, according to organizers.

END