Photo Essay

In Sri Lanka, the festival of Vesak is a time of prayer, meditation and light.

Vesak Day in Sri Lanka celebrating Buddha

On a full moon day in May each year, Buddhists across the world gather to commemorate the birth, death and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha. In Sri Lanka, a nation where nearly 80 per cent of the population is Buddhist, Vesak Day holds pride of place in the cultural calendar. Vesak is a time of abstinence and prayer, when devotees are encouraged to refrain from alcohol and meat, and to practice and contemplate humility and simplicity. The festival, also called Buddha Purnima or Buddha Day, is based on the lunisolar calendar so dates change slightly each year. But certain things remain constant – contemplation, colour, fervour, lights and prayer.