Wesak Day
Wesak Day is considered as a holy celebration for the Buddhists as the day
commemorates with Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Wesak day
celebration activities have been observed as an act of paying homage to Lord
Buddha.
Before his death, Lord Buddha advised his disciples not to cry over the
disintegration of his physical body, but to follow and spread his teachings. His
teachings explains that only the Dhamma truth is eternal. Buddha stressed that
offering flowers and burning incense and candles are not the only way to pay
homage to him as a teacher and advise them to sincerely follow and practise his
teachings.
Hence, all Buddhist devotees vowed and strived to lead noble lives, practise
generosity, kindness and promote peace and harmony among humanity.
The Malaysian Buddhist Association in Penang is an established centre. Its
mission is to enhance and propagate research on the teachings of Buddhism.
Members of the association carried out social charity and welfare work in many
fields such as education and medicine.
As part of Wesak celebrations, the association organised noble events such as
blood donation drives, charity dinners for the under-privileged, charity
donations and visits to orphanages, old folks homes, nursing homes and
handicapped centres of all faith.
Wesak Day night procession is an annual event organised in Penang since 1949
until today. It was run entirely by devotee volunteers and funded through
donations. The annual grand float procession usually starts at 6.00 pm in the
evening, from the Malaysian Buddhist Association in Burma Road.
Penang Buddhist devotees from all walks of life, will join and follow the
procession as it passes through the surrounding temple regions before returning
to the Buddhist association. Every year the procession float is beautifully
decorated with colourful flowers and bright lights. The monks will be chanting
prayers and sprinkling holy water throughout the procession journey.
Wesak day observed a national public holiday in Malaysia.
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