How to Celebrate Vesak – It’s not just about decorating homes and towns.

 Regarded as one of the most hallowed holidays in the Buddhist calendar, the festival of Vesak marks the birth, demise and enlightenment of Lord Buddha.  Although most of us are familiar with how the Catholics and Christians around the world mark the birth the Jesus Christ, the details on how Buddhists celebrate the birth of their spiritual leader is less clear. Here are some insights into how to celebrate the festival of Vesak.

                                             Img via Wikimedia Commons
  

1. Get a Head Start

Those who are planning on celebrating Vesak in a destination that celebrates the festival should arrive in their holiday hubs at least a few days before Vesak kicks off in earnest.  As the Events and Festivals Blog and other resources on famous festivals and events will tell you, Vesak celebrations can start as early as a week before the actual date deemed as the auspicious day when the birth, death and enlightenment of Lord Buddha took place. It is also necessary to pack clothing that's white or light in colour and conservative in terms of style as pilgrims and devotees will be clad in white and attending religious events throughout the country during this period.

 2. Observe Sil

The most productive way to take part in the Vesak festival during a holiday is to sign up for a "Sil" program at a local temple. Observing "Sil" is a day-long process that begins at dawn when devotees head to the nearest temple and agree to uphold the eight edicts according to Buddhist teachings. This means that for the duration of the day, you will refrain from lying, cheating, taking the life of another (includes harming insects and animals), engaging in sexually perverse actions and other activities that are deemed sinful according to Buddhism. The temples will conduct meditation programs as well as sermons delivered by the resident monks that will include religious instructions on how to lead a more pious life.

 3. Visit the Temple

Those who wish to experience Vesak without spending an entire day at the temple can make a pit stop at one of the country's many shrines and lay flowers as an offering to the Lord Buddha.  Lighting oil lamps and pouring water into the Bodhi tree are other activities visitors can engage in during a trip to the temple while lighting joss sticks and worshipping the Buddha sculptures found within the complex are also a key element in marking Vesak.

 4. Go on a Pandol Viewing Tour

Pandols are colourful cutouts that are strategically placed around major cities depicting various legends associated with the life of Lord Buddha. These epic tales are known as "Jathaka stories" and include moral instructions that are showcased in the form of comic-like illustrations on these massive placards that are lit up using thousands of electric bulbs.  Villagers come from miles around to see these iconic Pandols that take months to build and complete and like to spend their Vesak day travelling from one Pandol to another marvelling at the creativity of these showpieces while also paying attention to the narrated stories that are broadcast over a PA system.

 5. Take Part in an Alms Giving

An alms giving is an offering of food, clothing and other necessities to a group of monks living in a temple or a monastery. Alms givings are organized in great numbers during the Vesak season as it is seen as an activity that can bring Buddhists that much closer to Nirvana. It is important to prepare the meal offered to the monks with one's own hands or at one's own expense and devotees can also select whether they wish to offer the breakfast meal or the lunch meal to any given temple. It is important to contact the temple's monk population and allocate a date for your alms giving as different families will take on this responsibility every day of the week.