Buddha’s birthday

Living in a new country affords me the excitement and wonder of relishing every public holiday as an opportunity to immerse myself in new cultural festivities and customs.

This Friday marks Vesak Day, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha on the first full moon day in May. ‘Vesak’ is simply the month in which the festival falls on the Indian calendar.

Chanting heralds the start of the day’s celebrations, with devotees visiting temples to pray, meditate and provide offerings, including illuminating statues of Lord Buddha. It’s believed good deeds performed on Vesak Day have a domino effect, warranting good karma many times over. ‘Dana’ or acts of generosity include freeing caged birds, assisting the needy, consuming only vegetarian meals, and donating blood to hospitals.

Symbolic flowers, candles and joss sticks are laid at the feet of spiritual teachers, serving as reminders of the fragility of life as they wilt or burn throughout celebrations.

Variations of Buddhism are practiced in Singapore, with each subscribing to slightly different beliefs and customs. Mahayana Buddhist temples, such as the Phor Kark See Temple on Bright Hill Road, practice the ‘three-step, one-bow’ ritual whereby devotees take steps on both knees, bowing at every third step as they pray for world peace, personal blessings and repentance.

Theravada is another Buddhism variant, focused on the individual’s path to salvation. Mainly practiced by Singapore's Sri Lankan and Burmese communities, the Buddhist Temple at Geylang and the Sri Lankaramaya Temple at St Michael's Road practice the ritual of cooking a pot of rice in milk on the day, symbolising Buddha's last meal before fasting toward enlightenment.

All are welcome to witness and join in holy day celebrations. Two of the more popular temples are Singapore’s oldest Buddhist temple and second largest in Asia, the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Temple, as well as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in the heart of Chinatown. Candlelit street processions mark the end of the day.

The majority of locals will in fact be elsewhere, taking advantage of the extra day off and fleeing the island in search of luxury seaside respite and/or their own idea of ‘shopping nirvana’ in Malaysia or Thailand.

Whatever you do and wherever you may be on Buddha’s birthday, I hope your day is one of immense joy, peace and reflection as the day is intended to be.