Wesak Poya Day Lights Up Seenigama

The day of Wesak is the most important, beautiful and solemn of the Buddhist calendar and in Seenigama the Wesak commemorations were truly amazing. The day marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. All over Sri Lanka, temples, in the villages, and in the cities, announce the dawn of Wesak, with the sound of bells, and drum beats. Seenigama was no different, the villagers celebrated with their usual enthusiasm and style.

The devout, clad in pure white met at the Seenigama Temple where the entire village observed the traditional religious 'sil'. The meaning of sil is to rid the mind of impure thoughts, and the body of impure habits.

The village was delighted to save five cows from slaughter on this most holy day. The village people themselves raised the money to save two cows and the other three were funded through generous donations from private donors. The village partook in a ceremony where the animals were released from a certain death. This is symbolic of the 'non-harm to living beings' principle of Buddhism.

A midday meal was also provided for all and inspirational books were also given to the village people. The elderly members of the village were particularly honoured, as they were given additional nourishment packs for their later enjoyment.

The stunning Wesak lantern competition followed on Tuesday evening. Over 30 contestants had made beautiful, intricate and original lanterns which were paraded through the streets of Seenigama. The event was visually spectacular and deeply heart warming, especially given the difficult circumstances the villages have been living under. The lanterns require a real team effort to put together. Families and particularly children spend many days or even weeks making their elaborate creations. Three winners were chosen and received push bikes as prizes, there were also other consolation awards given.

The Seenigama people again displayed their incredible spirit through the Wesak weekend. In a time of such hardship, they clearly enjoyed celebrating this special time together.