It’s MAY! Another beautiful month in mother Sri Lanka. Everywhere you look, you will find the blooming of may flowers that touches every heart of us Sri Lankans. It is picturistic, heartwarming and traditionally looked forward too by us.
May is a month of beauty, a month of hope and a month of warmth expected by us and every visitor.
May - another month of celebrations. With a history of 2500 years of Buddhism behind us and ideologically following of lord Buddha’s teaching and philosophy. This blessed philosophy cultivated a phenomenal, civilized population in Sri Lanka.
We embraced Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death who was the most admired and honored philosopher that drives a nation like us.
Especially the Buddha's Birthday is a significant day of celebration for Buddhists around the world. This holiday is traditionally celebrated in most of East Asia to commemorate the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama who we believe is the episcopal creator of Buddhism. This celebration is solely honored among different types of Buddhists. Theravada Buddhists like Sri Lankans combine observance of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death into one holiday, called Vesak.
Vesak is a religious and cultural festival celebrated in Sri Lanka in the month of May on a full moon. The weeklong celebrations gives us and our visitors a unique opportunity to discover Sri Lanka's religious and cultural traditions. During this time in Sri Lanka, several religious activities are held. In temples, Buddhist worshipers offer flowers, lighting of lamps and burning incense.
Other than the exclusive religious aspects of the festival, the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, commemorate this day by decorate their houses and public places with colorful lanterns called Vesak koodu which light up the night along streets and in front of homes and arrange various cultural events to bring happiness to everyone on that day.
Electrically lit pandals called Toranas are erected island wide in every location. Food stalls set up by Buddhist devotees called Dansalas provide free food and drinks to every person passing by. There are some fantastic mime and street theatre performances, staged tall platforms throughout the cities and towns near the temples.
Vesak is also a time for great joy and happiness, expressed not by pampering to everyone’s appetite but by concentrating on useful activities such as decorating and illuminating temples, painting and creating exquisite scenes from the life of the Buddha for public view and reminding them of different lives of Lord Buddha Buddhists also work hand in hand with one another to provide refreshments and vegetarian food to followers who visit the temples to pay homage to the Enlightened One.
Ever since, this celebration have been most exquisite and exciting. As you walk out you will see every street corner filled with people actively showing respect and abundance of faith through various activities planned and contributed by every community
A privileged and proud nation that accepts every tradition going through their minds, blood and systems. Evoking and grooming future generations to follow the path of every path that is loved and respected by everyone around the world.
