The Vesak festival celebrated with new attitudes!

Sri Lanka is a Sinhala–Buddhist country, giving priority to religious observances, this year the State Vesak festival started on the 21st of May,  in Matale district with the blessings of the Maha Sanga and under the patronage of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. The closing ceremony was held last night at the Millawana Sri Sunandaramaya of the Pallepola Sasanarakshaka Mandalaya. This year, Buddhist devotees and other faithful joined to celebrate the Vesk festival by distributing different alms giving something significant value to the Vesak celebration. “The Archbishop of Colombo, who issued a special Vesak message, said to understand the impermanence of everything and show compassion to all living beings on earth”.

Vesak full moon Poya (May 23-24) marks the three most important milestones in Gautama Buddha’s life: birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana.

There were several Vesak Zones operated including Colombo and had increased security measures during May 23-24 the main two days that fall Vesak religious festival as official events took place at various temples, cultural centers, parks, schools, and commercial areas, with the largest gatherings likely in Anuradhapura, Colombo, and Kandy famous.

Every year, including the spiritual programs, the Vesak festival in Sri Lanka is celebrated with the most beautiful Vesak pandals displaying the birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana and other stories of the Lord Buddha, colorful lanterns of various shapes, and holding Dansal = almsgiving with various delicious food and drinks including cool drinks, tea, coffee, and rice, bread, buns, biscuits, ice cream, etc.

This year, in addition to providing food and drinks to the people who come from the village areas to the city to see the Vesak decorations and pandals Bodunu people also introduced another kind of meaningful Dansala. It was held at the village level too.

Among them, the Mojo News got to know that several Dansal distributed seeds as well as different types of vegetables and fruit plants, pointing out the quality of non-poisonous food and encouraging people to cultivate self-vegetables.

Meanwhile, the children of Mari Stella College in Negombo held a Dansala to distribute such various plants on the Vesak days – 23rd and 24th of May at their school premises.

Schoolchildren who are living in the area of Polpithigama in the Kurunegala also held plants distributing Dansala on the 23rd and 24th for two days.

Also, it was reported to the Mojo News that a Dansala was held to distribute puppies who were abandoned on the streets. Some youths had collected puppies who were abandoned on the streets, cleaned them, and gave them away to the people who really wanted to raise puppies.

With the intention of taking care of the helpless old people who have no one, another Dansala was organized by some youth, to collect all the street beggars to give them a good bath, shave and given new clothes and a good meal on the Vesak Poya day.

Meanwhile, with the aim of strengthening inter-religious relations, the Belimal (medicated drink) Dansala, organized by the teachers and student leaders of Varagoda St. Paul’s Sunday school, Kelaniya, took place on May 24 in front of the church.

Waragoda Bodhirukkharama vihara Chief Incumbent Venerable Ratkarawve Premananda Thero attended the inauguration of the Dansala and

said that although there are differences between us in terms of religious practices, Christ and Buddha also put humanity first and motivating children to do charity work to develop unity is a very noble task.

In addition, it was reported that the members of the Kandy main Mosque also gave cool drinks and chickpeas to all those who were going to see Vesak, saying that they wanted to strengthen the religious harmony among all the communities.

During the two or three days of the Vesak celebration, a Buddhist businessman from Pilimathalawa area of the Central Province gave a vegetable Dansala worth one million rupees to a large number of people who came not only from that area but also from outside. Many people have praised the businessman for providing such a useful vegetable Dansala.

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