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A festival void of unnecessary gaieties and blast, the Vesak Day is celebrated by the Buddhist scattered the world over, with great reverence and veneration. Vesak marks the most important day of the Buddhist calendar, in which the birth, enlightenment and the death of the Buddha is commemorated with great joy and meditation.

In Singapore, the Vesak day is celebrated usually on the 15th day of the 4th month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Many good deeds are performed on this sacred day by the Buddhists as they believe that such deeds will multiply in worth many times over when performed on this day. Hence caged birds and animals meant for slaughter are released, vegetarian meals are savored and blood donations are organized and participated in by the young and old alike. It is also customary to bathe a statue of Buddha, symbolizing the showers of the waters of the nine dragons that bathed Buddha after birth.

In Singapore, the Buddhist community constitutes both Mahayana and Theravada variants of Buddhism. While the Mahayana is followed by the Chinese Buddhists of Singapore, the Sri Lankan and Burmese Buddhists residing in China follow Theravada. The celebrations of each group vary slightly.

On the day of Vesak, Mahayana Buddhists observe the “three-step, one-bow” ritual wherein devotees on bended knee take three steps and a bow whilst praying for repentance and peace on a procession that continues for two long hours. Conversely, the Theravada Buddhists gather in temples and prepare a pot of milk rice to symbolize Buddha’s last meal prior to the long fasting that began with the journey toward enlightenment. Many gather to the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Temple or the Budda Tooth Relic Temple to celebrate the day of Vesak.

This charming festival can be witnessed by the visitors in the month of May in Singapore. Luxury suites such as the St. Regis Singapore, will ensure that the holiday is spent amid sheer comfort. With its plethora of luxury hotels, Singapore is lit up in reverence for the Vesak celebrations that will be observed by many around the world who visit during the season.

Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday.

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