Vesākha

Vesākha, also known as Wesak or Vesak, is a Buddhist holiday celebrated in Sri Lanka and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Many people think of this event as Buddha's birthday, but it actually celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha.

This holiday is probably the biggest and most important on the Buddhist calender

This image symbolizes the candles on the street lit for a

ritual march that happens at night.

Vesākha is a holiday that seems to be a lot about giving. Along with prayers, the special day includes releasing caged and captured animals back to nature, giving money and gifts to the poor, marching in candlelight, and attending ceremonies at Buddhist temples.

A golden statue of Buddha on the holiday

People marching

Vesākha is based on a lunar calendar. In Theravada countries it falls on the full moon Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar month). In China it falls on the 8th day of the 4th on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In the western world the date changes year to year but is always in April or May. This year it falls on May 27th for us.

Vesākha is a truly fascinating and important holiday for Buddhists in every country.

by: Julia Mandel