Buddhists lighten up

Magelang – Hundreds of lanterns were released into the sky by Indonesian Buddhists celebrating Vesak day at the temple of Borobudur for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.

More than 1 000 Buddhists from across the archipelago gathered at the largest temple in the world, situated in Magelang, Central Java, to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha Siddharta Gautama.

Celebrations on Monday included prayers and meditation, collecting holy water and the release of flying lanterns symbolising the letting go of negativity.

“This is the first time we were able to hold the celebration since the pandemic started, but since we are still in the middle of it, we limited the number of participants to only 1 200 people,” Eric Fernardo, the spokesperson for the event, said.

Only those who received an invitation and a double dose of a Covid vaccine were allowed to enter the sprawling complex of Borobudur.

Before the pandemic, the event was usually attended by more than 20 000 people from across the Muslim-majority country. –