Vesak
Next: May 20, 2027
A full moon for kindness and calm.
The story
Where it comes from
Vesak is the most sacred day of the Buddhist year. On the full moon of the month of Vesak, usually in May, Buddhists remember three events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment and his passing away. In 1999 the UN General Assembly recognised the Day of Vesak, acknowledging what Buddhism has given to humanity's spiritual life for two and a half millennia. Malaysia and Singapore keep it as a public holiday, as do Indonesia, where it is Waisak, and Thailand, where it is Visakha Bucha.
How it's celebrated
Devotees go to temple early with flowers, candles and incense, eat vegetarian food and do good deeds such as giving blood or sharing meals. Many pour scented water over a small statue of the infant Buddha, a ritual of purification. In Kuala Lumpur, decorated floats leave the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields for an evening procession through the city, and at Borobudur in Indonesia, lanterns rise into the night sky after the ceremonies.
Did you know
- At Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Singapore, devotees circle the temple through the night, bowing once every three steps. In 1984 it became the first Buddhist organisation in Singapore to hold this 'three steps, one bow' ceremony.
- The Wesak procession from the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Kuala Lumpur has been held since the 1890s and is the oldest religious procession in Malaysia.
- Before the Borobudur ceremony, holy water from the Jumprit spring and a flame from the eternal fire at Mrapen are carried in procession from Mendut temple to Borobudur.
The greeting
Happy Vesak Day · Selamat Hari Wesak
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