INFORMATIVE ESSAY

An Introduction To Vesak Day





Did you know that Buddha’s very birth, enlightenment, and passing all happened on the date of Vesak day?

Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. It is among the most important Buddhist festivals.

Vesak day is a day to commemorate the three most important points of Buddha’s life, as well as to give offerings to Buddha, and resonate with the day by meditating.

On Vesak Day, Buddhists celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.

Celebrations include visiting the sacred temples, making proper offerings, and meditating in peace. At the temples, Buddhist attend ceremonies to watch monks chant mantras, meditate, and give sermons. Then, they make offerings to Buddha’s altar, such as flowers, candles, and incense. Then, sometimes, they would bathe the Buddha, symbolically cleansing the bad karma by bathing a statue of the Buddha in water or sweet tea.

During the commemoration, Buddhists often have to follow specific traditions, such as wearing white clothes to symbolize purity, recite holy prayers and participate in ritual worship, while decorating their homes and temples with lanterns, perform charitable acts such as donating to the poor and needy, or visit the elderly, refrain from acts that could cause conflict and violence, and releasing animals such as birds or fish to symbolize liberation.

There are also rules to Vesak day, such as abstaining from eating meat or drinking alcohol, clean their homes, give alms to the poor and monastics, and pay extra care to committing good deeds and earning merit.

Vesak Day is made to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Gautama Buddha. The day often begins with an early morning ceremony at temples, where the Buddhist flag is raised, and hymns are sung. Devotees are given the chance to offer flowers, candles, and joss sticks, symbolizing life’s impermanence.

Vesak Day is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. It’s also a day to reflect on the Buddha’s teachings and to promote compassion, peace, and non-violence. Vesak day is celebrated to honour the Buddha’s life and teachings, promote values such as compassion, peace, and non-violence, reflect on our own spiritual journeys, and strive to cultivate inner peace and understanding.

So, in short, Vesak day is an important date for Buddhists as it marks the most important events in Buddha’s life, and it should be a day that’s respected and understood.


By Christie Robert

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