Buddha Purnima

Buddha Purnima, also known as Vesak, is a significant Buddhist festival celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Observed on the full moon day of the lunar month Vesakha (typically in April, May, or June), it is a public holiday in many Southeast Asian countries and recognized internationally by the United Nations.12

The festival involves devotional services and meritorious deeds, such as offering alms to monks or releasing captive birds. In some traditions, it is also called Buddha Day, Buddha Purnima, or Buddha Jayanti. While Theravada Buddhism commemorates all three events together on Vesak, some East Asian countries celebrate only the Buddha's birth on a separate day. The holiday's origins are not precisely documented in early Buddhist texts but became established in Theravada communities over time.13