On this sacred day to commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and Nirvana of Lord Buddha, Buddhist all over the world hold celebrations in temples. Wesak is areligious festival and all Buddhists are expected to reaffirm their faith in the Buddha Dhamma and to lead a noble religious life. It is a day for meditation and for radiating Loving-Kindness.
Activities actually start a couple of day before Wesak. On the actual day with falls on a full moon, Buddhists would gather in temples before dawn for the ceremonial hoisting of the Buddhist Flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy Triple Gems: The Buddha, The Dhamma (His teachings), and The Sangha (His disciples). Flowers and candles are offered to Sakyamuni Buddha. The symbolic offering of flowers is to remind that just as the beautiful flowers would wither away after a short while, life is subject to decay and destruction in similar manner as the flowers. The offering of candles is symbolic of light chasing away darkness and in the process melts away (“sacrifice itself”), we should be mindful in “chasing” away our ignorance and care for the well being of others. On this day, devotees are reminded to make a special effort to refrain from killing of any kind. They are encouraged to go on a vegetarian diet on this day.
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