THE EDITORIAL
Buddhists around the world commemorate the Vaiśākha festival in such a glamorousway because the three special events of Gautama Buddha‘s Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvāna took place on this day. It is not only the Buddhist people of Sri Lanka who celebrate the Vaiśākha festival with such grandeur. Countries like India, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, and Indonesia also hold memorial programs on Vesak Poya Day. In commemorating these three prominent festivals of Gautama Buddha, a collective commitment and similarities between countries belonging to both Thēravāda and Mahāyāna traditions are conspicuous.
The foremost among those collective commitments is that Buddhist people of all these countries, belonging to all traditions, assemble at the temples on that day. It is a common feature of all Buddhist countries that all the Buddhists around the world gather in temples to celebrate the auspicious events of the Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvāna with pride and to pay homage to the Buddha through symbolic offerings such as offerings of flowers, candles, and joss-sticks and by being truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings.
The Perahera cultural event, coinciding with the Vesak festival, is also held in Buddhist countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, apart from Sri Lanka. Also, donating and sharing food and decorating their homes, streets, and public places with Vesak lanterns and electric bulbs are also some of the common features represented by these countries.
Among these, the ablution of the Buddha statue which takes place in Japan, shows a deviation from many cultural aspects associated with Vesak. A sweet-tasting tea made from hydrangea leaves called Amacha is sprinkled on the Buddha statue, and adorning a garlandmade of lotus flowers on the Buddha is also an exceptional performance here.
This Vesak Poya, known as Vaishakha Pūja in Thailand, has been made a public holiday. In addition to the aforementioned general cultural features, the life release of animals that were destined for slaughter by Thai people on that day holds an important place. It can also be considered a common meritorious work in Sri Lanka.
In addition to the above-mentioned general characteristics, the cultural event of perahara, consisting of Buddhist monks, is observable in Cambodia. The cultural event of the perahara made up of Buddhist monks carrying national flags, Buddhist flags, candles,and incense sticks, appears novel to Sri Lanka because of this contribution of the Buddhist monks.
The people of all Buddhist countries commemorate the sacred Birth, Enlightenment,and Parinirvāna of the Gautama Buddha by attaching various cultural elements to the religious order. Therefore, we devoutly recall that the day of Vesak Full Moon Poya Day is a day when all the Buddhist people of the world work for a common goal, even if they are physically distant.
