When is vesak day celebrated

Vesak is also celebrated with charity work and acts of kindness by Buddhists. It is also expected that they refrain from killing of any kind therefore, they are encouraged to eat vegetarian food for the day. The Buddha. If there's a particular celebration you or someone you know participates in that we missed, let us know by leaving a comment on this post. Or, if you think we got something wrong, please also comment and let us know. We try to be as accurate as possible, but if there's a mistake, we want to correct it.

Skip to main navigation Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to search Skip to content. Use current location. See all locations. Admin Admin Admin, collapsed. Main navigation Events. Open search form. Photo by Alex Hanoko. Vesak Day originated in Southeast Asia, and is largely considered to be a Theravada Buddhist holiday, but many Buddhist traditions, including Zen and Tibetan, choose to observe the day. In previous years, former U.

President Barack Obama , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , and the United Nations , who formally decided to observe the day at its offices in , have all offered words of recognition to the larger Buddhist community in honor of Vesak.

He writes:. I send warm wishes to all celebrating the Day of Vesak, a sacred occasion to millions of Buddhists around the world. As we honour the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha, we can all be inspired by his teachings.

This timeless message of unity and service to others is more important than ever. Read on to find out more about Buddha and the Vesak festival. Buddhists do not believe in a single god who created the world and everything in it. In fact, most Buddhists believe in the teachings of a man called Siddhartha Gautama - also known as the Buddha.

Siddhartha is believed to have been a prince who was born into a wealthy family in what is now called Nepal in the 5th Century BC. It's believed that Siddhartha Gautama realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness.

So he travelled as a homeless holy man to learn more about the world and saw the suffering in the world. It's believed that after six years of studying and meditation on his travels, he became spiritually aware and reached his goal of finding meaning in life. This is called enlightenment.

At this time, he became the Buddha and for the rest of his life he taught his followers of his experiences. Buddha is a title, rather than a name, which means the enlightened or awakened one.

Vesak is celebrated once a year. This year, it falls on Thursday 7th May. The date of Vesak changes each year as it take places at the time of the first full moon of the ancient lunar month of Vesakha, which usually falls in May or early June. Each Buddhist culture has its own traditions for the day, but it is celebrated in lots of different countries, including many across Asia such as: India, Thailand, and North and South Korea.