Vesak Day festival in Singapore

Vesak is one such holy day that is highly anticipated by Buddhists the world all over. It is popularly known as the Buddha’s birthday, but it actually marks three milestones of the his life: his birth, his enlightenment and his death.

This holiday is observed in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka as well as several Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. However, not all countries mark this as a public or national holiday.

In Singapore, Vesak often falls on May and usually occurs on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar calendar’s fourth month. Celebrations start of similarly as with other countries, but differ minutely depending on the sector. Buddhism in Singapore is made up of various sectors, the most predominant of which are Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. The former is mostly practiced by Chinese Singaporeans, while the former is followed predominantly by the Burmese and Sri Lankan Singaporeans. 

In Singapore, Vesak often falls on May and usually occurs on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar calendar’s fourth month. Celebrations start of similarly as with other countries, but differ minutely depending on the sector. Buddhism in Singapore is made up of various sectors, the most predominant of which are Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. The former is mostly practiced by Chinese Singaporeans, while the former is followed predominantly by the Burmese and Sri Lankan Singaporeans.

Visitors during Vesak in Singapore should visit the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Temple, the country’s oldest Buddhist temple. It is also Asia’s second largest.