Vesak Festival

The Vesak Festival is the largest Buddhist festival in this Buddhist island country. Every year the Vesak Festival is held on the full moon day in Gregorian calendar. It is said that this day is the birth, enlightenment, and Nirvana anniversary of Sakyamuni, and also the day that memorizes the Buddha visiting Lanka Island (according to legend) and the Sinhalese ancestors with their followers settling in Lanka.

During the holiday season, the Buddha's flag is raised throughout the nation, and every family makes various shapes and specifications of lanterns to hang on their buildings. As night falls, lamp light becomes brilliant in every corner, symbolizing the long-time burning of Buddhist lantern candles. The major cities during this period also build huge archways and arches, decorated with a variety of color lights, which change different patterns. The archways also have  various disguises of the big Buddha, which all have vivid facial expressions, and those who stand off the archways tell the audience what these pictures really represent. Songs to compliment the Buddha will also be performed on the outdoor stages.