JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, November 11, 2009--A Church cultural group has tried to heal divisions between Tamils and Sinhalese left by the 26-year civil war by bringing the two sides together in a program of traditional folk dances.

The Center for Performing Arts (CPA) brought its artists from the south to the arts festival held in Jaffna city in the previously war-torn north, and invited people of various religions and ethnicities to join the "Sinhalese and Tamil festival."

"The post-war challenge is to find a way to unite the Tamil people with the majority Sinhalese," CPA founder, Father Nicholapillai Maria Saveri, told UCA News.

The civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who were fighting for a homeland for Tamil people in Sri Lanka, and government troops ended in May.

Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims joined in the two-day festival which began on Nov. 8.

The Jaffna peninsula is renowned for its rich cultural heritage through its academies, ancient temples and missionary churches but has been a "closed district," with southerners banned except with military permission.

The event, featuring 24 traditional dance forms, attracted a crowd of 1,200 including priests, nuns, Buddhist monks, fine arts lecturers, and military commanders.

The 46 dancers comprised 18 Sinhalese and 28 Tamil youths. "The two groups danced to one song. It is therapy through music and dance," Sebastiampillai Saminather, 65, of CPA Jaffna branch told UCA News.

The youths also shared traditional food, prayed together and visited temples and churches during the festival as the groups renewed relationships torn apart by the war.

Guest of honor Packialechchumi Nadarajah, president of the Fine Arts Faculty of Jaffna University, praised the initiative toward ethno-religious unity, which also helped preserve ancient art forms.

"Folk arts are on the verge of extinction due to lack of support from young people," she said. (UCAN)