Vesak

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A significant observance among Buddhists that marks the crucial events of birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha
2. An important religious festival celebrating the major milestones in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, revered founder of Buddhism
3. A major Buddhist holiday honoring the birth, awakening, and passing away of the Buddha, observed annually with religious activities

Etymology: The festival's name comes from Sinhalese, the language of Sri Lanka, where "wesak" (වෙසක්) is the name of the month of May in the Sinhalese calendar and of the observance held during it. The Buddhist festival is the most important of its kind in that tradition, and the name travelled with it into English as the term for the celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Because the name refers to a month on the Sinhalese calendar, the word is tied to a date rather than to an event. Buddhists in Sri Lanka and many other countries observe the festival on the full moon in that month, which is why the celebration falls at a different point in the Western calendar from year to year.

Synonyms: Vesak Day, Buddha Day