Editing Vesak (section)

=== In Southeast Asia ===


====In Thailand====
In Thailand, where Vesak Day is known as Visakha Buja Day (Visakha Puja Day), Buddhists usually make merits by going to temples, vowing to keep the Buddhists precepts, offering food to monks, listening to talks about [[Dharma|dhamma]] and meditating (''[[samatha-vipassanā|vipassana]]'') in the temples.

====In Laos====
The '''Vixakha Bouxa''' festival is the [[Lao people|Lao]] version of the Thai Visakha Puja, which it closely resembles. It commemorates the [[birth]], [[Bodhi|enlightenment]], and [[death]] of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], which are all said to have happened on the same date. It is held around the month of May or ''Vesak'', based on the lunar calendar. Celebrations include [[Dance and Theater of Laos|dances]], [[poetry|poems]], [[parade]]s, [[procession]]s, [[meditation|deep meditation]], [[Dance and Theater of Laos|theatrical performances]], and [[puppet show]]s.

=====Boun Bang Fay=====
One part of the Vixakha Bouxa festival is called '''Boun Bang Fay''', or [[Rocket Festival]]. As this occurs during the hottest and driest season of the year, large homemade [[firework|rocket]]s are launched into the sky in an attempt to convince the celestial beings to send down [[rain]]. Traditionally, Buddhist [[monks]] made the rockets out of hollow bamboo tubes filled with [[gunpowder]] (among other things). Nowadays, lay people make the ''bang fai'' more like [[fireworks]] and hold competitions for the highest, fastest and most colorful rockets. The event takes place on both sides of the Mekhong River border between Thailand and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and sometimes teams from the neighbouring countries will compete against each other. Tourists travel long distances to witness this now popular event.

====In Indonesia====
[[File:Borobudur on Vesak Day 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|Vesak Day celebration in [[Borobudur temple]], Indonesia]]
This significant and traditional holy day is observed throughout Indonesia, where it is known as Waisak Day.<ref name="Malik2007">{{cite book|author=Akhtar Malik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E5EkAQAAIAAJ|title=Survey of Buddhist Temples and Monasteries|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Anmol Publications|isbn=978-81-261-3259-1|page=145}}</ref><ref name="Gupta2008">{{cite book|author=Sameer Das Gupta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H4ckAQAAIAAJ|title=Advanced history of Buddhism: monasteries and temples|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Cyber Tech Publications|page=145|isbn = 9788178843438}}</ref> At [[Borobudur]], thousands of Buddhist monks will join to repeat mantras and meditate as they circuit the temple in a ritual called "Pradaksina". This is a form of tribute to the temple. Monks celebrate the special day by bottling holy water (which symbolises humility) and transporting flames (which symbolize light and enlightenment) from location to location. The monks also take part in the "Pindapata"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Meditation|first=Filed under|date=2011-10-18|title=The custom of Pindapatha|url=https://www.dhammikaweb.com/?p=11199|access-date=2021-09-12|website=Dhammikaweb|language=en-US|archive-date=12 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912170215/https://www.dhammikaweb.com/?p=11199|url-status=dead}}</ref> ritual, where they receive charity from the people of Indonesia. Waisak Day in Indonesia has been celebrated as a national public holiday every year since 1983.{{citation needed |reason=law reenactment? |date=May 2025}}

====In Malaysia====
[[File:Wesak at Mara Vihara.jpg|thumb|People thronged to the Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple during the Wesak Day celebration in [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]].]]

Celebrated by Buddhists to mark three momentous events in Buddha's life – his birth, enlightenment, and his departure from the human world, the Wesak celebration in Malaysia begins at dawn when devotees gather at Buddhist temples nationwide to meditate on the [[Eight Precepts]]. Donations – giving food to the needy and offerings of incense and joss sticks – and prayers are carried out. The sutras are chanted in unison by monks in saffron robes. The celebration is highlighted by a candle procession. Wesak Day in Malaysia is a national public holiday.{{citation needed |reason=law reenactment? |date=May 2025}}

==== In Myanmar (Burma) ====
[[File:Buddha Day 02.jpg|thumb|Burmese Buddhist devotees traditionally water [[Bodhi Tree|Bodhi trees]] to mark Vesak.]]
[[File:Buddha Day.jpg|thumb|Burmese Buddhist devotees converge on a Bodhi tree in preparation for watering.]]
In [[Myanmar]] (Burma), Vesak is known as the Full Moon Day of [[Kason]] (ကဆုန်လပြည့် ဗုဒ္ဓနေ့), which is the second month in the traditional [[Burmese calendar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Khin Maung Nyunt|date=2019-05-18|title=Full moon day of Kasone: Buddha Day|work=The Global New Light of Myanmar|url=https://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/full-moon-day-of-kasone-buddha-day/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519205657/http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/full-moon-day-of-kasone-buddha-day/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=19 May 2019}}</ref> The date is a public gazetted holiday. Buddhist devotees typically celebrate by offering alms to Buddhist monks, adhering to a more stringent set of Buddhist precepts, practicing meditation, and freeing fish and birds from captivity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Full moon day of Kason|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/lifestyle/20409-full-moon-day-of-kason.html|date=2016-05-20|website=The Myanmar Times|access-date=2020-05-24|archive-date=6 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206142847/https://www.mmtimes.com/lifestyle/20409-full-moon-day-of-kason.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Throughout the country, the date is also marked by a traditional festival called the ''Nyaungye-thun'' or "Bodhi tree water pouring festival" ({{interlanguage link|ညောင်ရေသွန်းပွဲ|my}}), whereby devotees visit [[Burmese pagoda|pagodas]] or monasteries ([[kyaung]]) to pour scented water to sacred [[Bodhi Tree]]s using clay pots,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stay at home day of Kasone|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/news/stay-home-day-kasone.html|date=2020-05-05|website=The Myanmar Times|access-date=2020-05-24|archive-date=19 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719123724/https://www.mmtimes.com/news/stay-home-day-kasone.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> to ensure the trees, which hold great significance in Buddhism, do not die during the peak of summer.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Full moon day of Kason|url=https://yangonlife.com.mm/en/article/full-moon-day-kason-0|website=Yangon Life|language=en|access-date=2020-05-24|archive-date=11 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011222022/http://yangonlife.com.mm/en/article/full-moon-day-kason-0|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ye Ye Myint|date=2019-05-19|title=Buddha Day, Full Moon Day of Kason celebrated across Myanmar|work=Myanmar News Agency|url=https://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/buddha-day-full-moon-day-of-kason-celebrated-across-myanmar/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520224915/http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/buddha-day-full-moon-day-of-kason-celebrated-across-myanmar/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=20 May 2019}}</ref>

This tradition dates back to the pre-colonial era and continues to take place at major pagodas such as the Shwekyetyet and Shwekyetkya Pagodas in the former royal capital of [[Amarapura]].<ref name=":0" /> A [[Konbaung era]] court poet, [[Letwe Thondara]] composed a complete set of [[Yadu (poetry)|''yadu'']] poems describing this festival in Meza Hill, near [[Katha, Myanmar|Katha]], where he had been exiled by King [[Hsinbyushin]].<ref name=":0" />

====In the Philippines====
In the [[Philippines]], the date of Vesak (known as ''Araw ni Bisyak'', ''Kaarawan ni Buddha'', ''Araw ni Buddha'' or ''Adlaw sa Buddha'') follows the [[Chinese lunar calendar]]. Like China and Japan, Filipinos also bathe statues on this day.<ref name="Philippines">{{Cite book |title=Chinese Buddhism in Catholic Philippines: Syncretism as Identity|author=Ari C. Dy|publisher=Anvil|year=2015|isbn=9789712731600|pages=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2022 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF VESAK|url=https://www.un.int/philippines/statements_speeches/2022-international-day-vesak|website=United Nations|access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref>

====In Singapore====
In Singapore, Vesak Day was made a public holiday in 1955 after many public petitions, replacing [[Whit Monday]].<ref name="Ong2005">{{cite book|author=Y. D. Ong|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foIkAQAAIAAJ|title=Buddhism in Singapore: A Short Narrative History|date=1 January 2005|publisher=Skylark Publications|isbn=978-981-05-2740-2|page=206}}</ref><ref name="Piyasīlo1992">{{cite book|author=Piyasīlo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cWADAQAAIAAJ|title=New Directions in Buddhism Today: Celebrating 30 Years of the Buddha Day Holidays, 1962-1992|publisher=Community of Dharmafarers|year=1992|isbn=978-983-9030-03-7|page=6}}</ref><ref name="LimLee2016">{{cite book|author1=Jason Lim|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uks9DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA147|title=Singapore: Negotiating State and Society, 1965-2015|author2=Terence Lee|date=26 May 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-33152-0|pages=147}}</ref> In the early decades of the 20th century, Vesak Day was associated with the Ceylonese community, which then celebrated it along with their National Day in a two-day event. After World War II, there was a movement to make Vesak Day a public holiday, with the Singapore Buddhist Association leading the petitions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vesak Day: 5 things you should know about this Buddhist celebration|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/5-things-about-vesak-day-20140512|last=migration|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=12 May 2014|archive-date=22 May 2015|access-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522000051/http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/5-things-about-vesak-day-20140512|url-status=live}}</ref>

====In Vietnam====
{{see also|Huế Phật Đản shootings}} 
In Vietnam, Vesak is also known as {{Lang|vi|Phật Đản}}. From 1958 to 1975, Vesak was a national public holiday in South Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://quangduc.com/lichsu/13nienbieupgvn3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115000946/http://quangduc.com/lichsu/13nienbieupgvn3.html|url-status=dead|title=Niên biểu lịch sử Phật giáo Việt Nam|archive-date=15 November 2012}}</ref> It was a public festival with floats, and lantern parades on the streets. Under the President [[Ngô Đình Diệm]], a member of [[Roman Catholicism in Vietnam|Vietnam's Catholic minority]], South Vietnamese Buddhists were not allowed to celebrate Vesak, and faced many other restrictions. 

On 8 May 1963, the day of Vesak in Vietnam, more than 3000 Vietnamese Buddhists were protesting President Diệm's ban on the Buddhist flag in the city of [[Huế]]. Tensions rose throughout the day, and as protesters gathered around a government radio station, the Vietnamese army and police were called in to disperse the crowd. Soon after, the army started to shoot and throw grenades into the crowd. Nine were killed, and four were seriously injured.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moise |first=E. |date=2007-09-01 |title=Cold War Mandarin: Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam, 1950-1963. By Seth Jacobs. (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. xii, 207 pp. Cloth, $65.00, ISBN 978-0-7425-4447-5. Paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-0-7425-4448-2.) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/25095096 |journal=Journal of American History |volume=94 |issue=2 |pages=641–642 |doi=10.2307/25095096 |jstor=25095096 |issn=0021-8723}}</ref> These events are considered to be the beginning of Vietnam's [[Buddhist crisis]], which culminated in a governmental coup and the assassination of President Diệm. Successive South Vietnamese Governments recognized Vesak as a public holiday and allowed the celebrations to go on.

However, after the [[Fall of Saigon]], the day was no longer a public holiday. Since the 2000s, the festival has witnessed a revival across the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vietnamnews.vn/society/518892/ha-nam-province-to-host-vesak-2019.html|title=Hà Nam Province to host Vesak 2019|website=vietnamnews.vn}}</ref> The Vesak Celebration is officially held by the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha every year and it aggregated international delegates for great events in 2008, 2014, 2019 (the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebration).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.undv2019vietnam.com/en|title=The 16th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations 2019|website=The 16th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations 2019|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=19 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719123725/http://www.undv2019vietnam.com/en|url-status=live}}</ref>