Vesak

Vesak is the most widely observed Buddhist festival. It is held on the full moon of the lunar month of Vesākha, which usually falls in May. The name, also spelled Wesak or Visakha Puja, comes from the month. In Theravada countries, Vesak remembers three events together: the birth, the awakening and the passing away of the Buddha.

What is remembered

Tradition holds that Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal. After years of searching he attained awakening under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in India. For about forty-five years he taught, and he passed away at Kusinārā, an event called the parinibbāna. The Theravada tradition holds that all three took place on the full moon of Vesākha.

In East Asian traditions these events are usually marked on separate days. The birth of the Buddha is often celebrated in spring, for example on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month in Korea and on 8 April in Japan, where it is known as Hanamatsuri, the flower festival. Awakening is commonly marked in December, on Bodhi Day.

How it is observed

Customs vary from country to country, but some are widely shared. Lay people visit temples and monasteries, offer flowers, candles and incense, and listen to teachings. Many take the eight precepts for the day, which include refraining from eating after midday. Giving is central: food is offered to monastics, and many communities share food and drink with passers-by.

In Sri Lanka, streets and homes are decorated with lanterns and illuminated pandals that show scenes from the Buddha's life. In many East Asian temples, people pour scented water over a small statue of the Buddha as an infant. In Thailand and neighbouring countries, people often walk three times around a temple or stupa carrying candles, flowers and incense, reflecting on the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.

Vesak worldwide

In 1950 the World Fellowship of Buddhists agreed to promote Vesak as a shared international festival, and in 1999 the United Nations recognised it as an international day. In Australia, Buddhist communities from many backgrounds mark Vesak around May.

The spirit of the day

Whatever the custom, the intention is the same: to recollect the Buddha's life and to renew one's own practice through generosity, ethics and meditation.