Vesak Festival

When:  Month of May. 

"Vesak" is the Buddhist festival, which is celebrated with high enthusiasm and elaborates preparations; basically this is a religious festival commemorating the birth, Attaining Enlightment & Passing Away (Parinirvana) of Buddha. This festival is celebrated in all the countries where Buddhists live in considerable number. These include India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tibet, Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. However the names of the festival vary widely. "Vesak" is a word in Singhalese, the language of the majority Buddhists in Sri Lanka.

As it is mainly a religious event, for devout Buddhists, religious observances form the main activities of the festival. They generally wear white dress and go to the temple and participate in the traditional ceremonies there. Many of them spend the whole day in the temple and reaffirm their determination to follow the teachings of Buddha. Other than the exclusive religious aspects of the festival, the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, decorate their houses and public places and arrange for various cultural events to bring happiness to everyone on that day.