Vesak Poya falls on the full moon day in May and
commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. The decision to
celebrate Vesak was made at the first conference of the World Fellowship of
Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950.
On Vesak day, devotees observe sil [the 5 or 8 precepts of
Buddhism] at their neighborhood temples.
Buddhists also celebrate by lighting Vesak Laterns. When
walking around the buzzing cities and towns on this day, you are bound to come across a lot
of colourful and creative lanterns as well as bright Pandols that tell stories
from Buddha’s life and teach religious lessons.
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| Vesak Buckets |
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| The crowds to see the decorations for Vesak |
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| The colourful lanterns... |
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| Lanterns hanging over the crowded streets... |
Another interesting feature of Vesak Poya are the Dansal.
These are stalls that are found all over the cities and towns who offer food
and/or drink to passersby for free. They
usually offer fruit juices, herbal teas, rice and curry, chick peas, ice
cream and more…
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| Our dansal dinner... |
If you’re in Sri Lanka during this time, walking around
these decorated areas and indulging in food from dansal as well as street food
is far better than just driving by!
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| Enjoying some street food...! |
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| 'Isso Wadey' My favourite type of Sri Lankan street food! |
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| Saravita - A popular sweet snack... |
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| Fresh fruit juices... |
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| A variety of street food |
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| More street food! |
