Colombo (AsiaNews) –Celebrations for the 2,551th feast of Vesak – the Buddhist feast to mark the birth, the re-awakening and the passage of Buddha – will take place May 1st in Sri Lanka.
There will be numerous religious celebrations. Expositions of paintings depicting scenes from the life of Buddha and Vesak lanterns, special meditation programmes, presentations of Buddhist songs and group themes. There will also be competitions for the paintings and decorations. At the end of each competition, winners receive a rich prize.
The president and secretary of Samasthalanka Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya, after meeting Mahinda Rajapaksa, president of Sri Lanka, told Colombo media that authorities had received orders to give priority to the religious celebrations. The competitions must serve to increase the religious sense of the feast and the technical abilities of the inhabitants.
Under the President Rajapaksa’s ‘ Mathata Thitha ’ – ‘ Full stop for liquor ’ program , the Excise Department will launch close inspection to nab black marketers and raid illicit liquor outlets as well as licensed liquor bars will engage with the selling liquor on the foxy during this religious period. It will also be forbidden to butcher animals during the entire period.
Vesak is an important feast for Sri Lankan Buddhists, who make up 70% of the population. People of every race and creed decorate their houses and build and light the roads with coloured lanterns. Religious sites are illuminated by lights in the colours of the Buddhist flag. Celebrations begin at night, when people tour around neighbouring villages to admire the lights and pictures.