Here's why Vesak Day falls on different days in different countries

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Wait, it's Vesak Day?

It’s that time of year again, and if it feels like keeping track of Vesak Day is a little harder than the other public holidays, that’s because it is.

This year, Singapore celebrates it on Jun. 2. Last year, it fell on May 15. And the year before that, it was May 26.

This may seem a little odd since Vesak Day, which commemorates Buddha’s birth and enlightenment, is often considered his birthday as well.

To make things even more confusing, Buddha's birthday doesn’t change only with the year, but with the place, too.

Across the Causeway, Malaysia celebrated Vesak Day almost a month earlier, on May 4.

In Nepal, where Buddha was said to be born, they celebrated it on May 5.

And the earliest to commemorate it would be the Japanese, on Apr. 8.

So, why do countries celebrate Buddha’s birthday on different days and why does it seem like Singapore is late to the party this year?

(If it’s any consolation, Indonesia is celebrating Vesak Day a little later than us this year: on Jun. 4. That's also, coincidentally, my birthday).

Calendars

To answer the previous question, we have to look at the calendars we’re using:

The modern calendar we’re all familiar with is known as the Gregorian calendar (You know, this one: January 1 to December 31). This was introduced sometime in the 16^th century and is now the international standard for date-keeping.

However, Buddhism predates the Gregorian calendar by many, many centuries and so, Buddhists have been keeping track of Vesak Day using their own traditional calendars way before the Gregorian calendar was even a thing, and continue to do so to this day.

While the Gregorian calendar revolves around the solar cycle, these other traditional calendars are often centered around both solar and lunar cycles. The ancient Hindu, Buddhist, and Chinese calendars all examples of such lunisolar calendars.

And as anyone familiar with the Chinese lunar new year can attest to, these lunisolar calendars rarely align consistently with the Gregorian calendar, which is why holidays like Vesak Day and the Chinese lunar new year never seem to fall on the same days year to year.

Many ancient calendars use the lunar cycle to commemorate special occasions, including Vesak Day, which falls on a full moon in many cultures. Image via Facebook

So how do we know when Vesak Day is?

In the case of Vesak Day, it’s actually named after the word Vaisakha, the month in the Hindu and Buddhist calendars in which Buddha was said to have been born in.

The month Vaisakha, in turn, corresponds to the second half of April and the first half of May in the Gregorian calendar. In Nepal, widely considered to be the birthplace of Buddha, Vesak Day is celebrated on the first full moon day of Vaisakha.

On the other hand, Singapore, along with a few other countries, celebrates Vesak Day in the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar instead, explaining why the holiday comes so much later this year in Singapore relative to the countries that follow the Hindu-Buddhist calendar.

It’s also worth noting that some places, most notably Japan, only rely on the Gregorian calendar when observing Vesak Day, so the holiday there consistently falls on Apr. 8 every year.

How is Vesak Day celebrated in Singapore?

Worshippers in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery making offerings, 2019. Mothership file photo.

Like many other religious holidays, for those observing Vesak Day, it's a time for spirituality, community, and reflection.

Besides making offerings at a Buddhist temple, many Buddhists celebrate Buddha's life and enlightenment by embodying and passing on his teachings, usually through offering acts of kindness to those in need and giving back to the community.

With the Covid-19 restrictions fully lifted this year, we can expect Vesak Day festivities to return in full swing. Here are some interesting ways Singaporean Buddhists have commemorated Vesak Day in the past:

• Having their pets blessed at the temple
• Shaving their heads in collaboration with Hair for Hope
• A huge music concert in the National Indoor Stadium

But here's one way you should NOT commemorate Vesak Day: Releasing animals into the wild.

The act of releasing animals, known as fang sheng, may be customary in other countries, but not only is it illegal in Singapore, it also does more harm than good to both the environment and the released animals.

TL;DR

Long story short, because Buddhism is a very ancient and widespread system of belief, the development of different calendars by different cultures caused Vesak Day to be celebrated on different days across the globe.

But here in Singapore, no matter when Vesak Days falls, we all have reason to celebrate.

Whether we’re commemorating Buddha’s birth and his enlightenment, or we’re just thankful for a much-needed reprieve from work and school, here’s wishing all our readers a Happy Vesak Day!

Top photo from Unsplash