This is Vesak season. In the month of Vesak, which means the month of May, trees and vines are loaded with flowers, and the whole environment is beautified. The full moon shines in the blue sky to illuminate Vesak. The Vesak festival is celebrated in memory of Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. Everyone prepares to celebrate Vesak with great devotion. On that day, the temples are filled with devotees dressed in white. On Vesak Day, every village and city is lit up with Vesak lanterns and pandals. The very beautiful Vesak decorations, lanterns, and pandals erected everywhere will enchant everyone.
The Vesak festival in the Buddha year 2567 is a great day for the Buddhist people of Sri Lanka and the Buddhist people of the world. In memory of that day, Vesak zones have also been created in many places in Sri Lanka which include pandan, Free food stalls-"dansals", devotional songs, and concerts. Many people are seen having fun in the Vesak zones because they are full of festivities. On this particular full moon Poya day, devout Buddhists observe Sil (practicing austerities) and go to the temple.
As usual, five colored (Blue, Yellow, Red, White, Orange) Buddhist flags are hoisted all over the country for the Vesak festival.
Seeing an old man, a sick person, a dead body, and a monk's figure, which are the four omens of Prince Siddhartha, the mind turns to leave the lay house. After that, for six years, he lived as an ascetic and performed austerities. And on the day of Vesak Full Moon Poya, he realized the Four Noble Truths and became a Buddha.
Everyone participates in the great Vesak festival, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and the death of Gautama Buddha.
People of other religions can also be seen hanging a vesak lantern and joining the Tri-Feast.
Why is Vesak special?
It is on Vesak full moon day that the Lord Buddha, who realized the truth of the world, was born, became a Buddha (Enlightened - becoming arahant), and passed away (Sanskrit:parinirvāna and pāli:parinibbāna) - death of an arahant; release from suffering of samsara. To remember these, the Buddhist people of the world engage in various religious ceremonies for them. In the distant past of the Bodhisattva, when he was an ascetic Sumedha, the Bodhisattvas received the definitive explanation from the Lord Buddha named Dipankara on a Vesak day. Lord Buddha came to Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and came to 'Samanala' Mountain, placed his left foot mark on "Samanala" Mountain, "Sri Pada," on Vesak day. Several other very special incidents like this happened on the day of Vesak Full Moon day (Pura Pasaloswaka Poya).
It seems that many people are preparing for Vesak and are going to see Vesak with great enthusiasm. Very beautiful Vesak lanterns are erected and hung in many places.
Different types of lanterns can be found all over the country. Among them, we have seen some people making and displaying lotus flowers, star, etc.-shaped lanterns. The most common of these lampshades is the popular Vesak lantern.
In addition, it is customary to create and display large-scale, spectacular lanterns for the Vesak festival.
While hanging these Vesak baskets or lanterns, a lamp, a candle, or a light bulb is lit in them. In this way, lanterns with different shapes can be considered light offerings made for the Buddha.
The "Atapattam" Vesak Lantern.
A common feature seen in many pandals is the image of Lord Buddha sitting in lotus position or standing in the middle of the pandal, at the top of the pandal, or at the bottom, and the shimmering, colorful band that surrounds the Lord Buddha's image. The halo or ring of rays is visualized as the petals of a beautiful, colorful ornamental flower, as radiating colored light in a circle, or as some other decorative pattern made attractive by colorful electric light.
Then pandals are made, often on the theme of a "Jātaka" story. Various parts of the Jātaka story are displayed in colorful pictures and numbered, respectively. There are streams of colorful lights that are twinkling or decorations around the parts that have those numbers.
In anticipation of this religious festival that comes once a year, all the streets of the country are decorated with various decorations and colorful lights. This Vesak season is a time of great celebration where people get separated from their busy lives and get enlightened by sermons.
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