Vesak Festival in Sri Lanka
Vesak in Sri Lanka is a religious and cultural celebration which is mostly held during the full moon day of the lunar month of Vesak, which is usually in the month of May. The celebrations include religious observances and festive events throughout the country.
Vesak is a festival held to honour the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha in the Theravada tradition. On Vesak day Buddhist devotees and followers gather at the temple, clad in simple white dress and recite verses of praise to the triple gem.
Sights and sounds of Vesak
Although mainly a religious celebration, it is also a time to experience the bright lights and decorations, and to hear the sounds of the crowded spectators and chanting from the Buddhist temples. Alcohol and meat sales are prohibited during the Vesak poya dates; this applies to all shops, restaurants and hotels.
Most homes and public places are decorated with bring lights, and Vesak lanterns. The lanterns come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but most often are built around the symbols like the lotus flower and includes artistic representation of the Vesak season.
Vesak pandals are constructed in several popular cities and towns which depict stories from the life of Lord Buddha. The pandals are massive structures that include electric bulbs and elaborate paintings. The story depicted in the structure is narrated through loud speakers and is either spoken or sung most often through a recording. The pandals are generally constructed through funds received by donors, religious groups and welfare societies.
Most of the people in the country will join in the festivities to visit the brightly decorated attractions, to eat the free food from the “dansal” (food stalls), and to walk for miles and miles to observe the decorative Vesak lantern competitions, and the pandals.
Main locations of attractions
Some of the key locations the Vesak celebrations are displayed at include the main cities like Colombo, Kandy and Galle. Colombo however is a main location and attracts hundreds of visitors from around the country to take part in the celebrations. Most notably the stretch on Baudhaloka Mawatha in Colombo 08, and the area surrounding the Gangarama temple till Navam Mawatha in Colombo 02 are popular locations for experiencing the festivities.
This year (2015) the period from April 30 to May 06 has been declared as the vesak week.
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