VESAK
As you are aware of, at the 5-star luxury hotel Asia Gardens we enjoy telling you something new every week. Today, we are going to talk about one of the most important celebrations in the Buddhist religion, the Vesak, a key day for Buddhists which we are going to tell you about in detail.
Vesak is the most significant holy day in Buddhism. People commemorate the life of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), by making offerings to him inside the temples. It is said that Buddha was born, reached enlightment and died all in the one day, Vesak.
The exact day of Vesak varies according to the lunar calendar being used in each Asian country, and also according to the different traditions. But the word originates from the first month in the Hindu calendar. The name comes from Pali vesākha, the name of the lunar month between April and May.
In every country with a Buddhist influence, Vesak is the national holiday, and it is celebrated in all Buddhist countries. It wasn’t until 1950 that it was officially decided to celebrate Vesak worldwide. The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) decided at a conference that the holiday would be held in the month of May according to the Buddhist lunar calendar.
In 1999, this holiday was also recognised by the UN, being the first time that a holy day was commemorated in the UN headquarters, on 15th May 2000.
Everyone in all Buddhist countries dresses up to the nines to celebrate a religion that started more than 2500 years ago. Although this holiday doesn’t only consist of making offerings, placing flowers, burn incense and celebrate, Buddha wanted this day to be celebrated according to his teachings. He wanted all Buddhists to feel determined to lead a noble life on that day, and to develop their minds, be kind and work towards reaching peace and harmony.
From a Buddhist point of view, the goal in life is to end suffering and achieve real peace and happiness, which is exactly what we want to make you feel in our Asian luxury setting. We look forward to welcoming you at the Asia Gardens surrounded by peace and quiet.
