Vesak Day 2017: Photos of colourful celebrations of Buddha's birthday, enlightenment and death
Known as Buddha's birthday, Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti, Vesak Day commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.
Buddhists around the world are celebrating Vesak, one of the most important days in the Buddhist calendar. Informally known as Buddha's birthday, it commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhist scriptures state that each of these significant events occurred on the full moon of the Indian lunar month of Vesakha. Buddhists celebrate Vesak every year on the day of the full moon in May.
The birth of Buddha two-and-a-half millennia ago in 623BC, is celebrated in countries with large Buddhist populations, such as Thailand, India and Nepal. IBTimes UK presents photos of celebrations of the important event – also known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Jayanti.
A devotee prays in front of a Buddha statue during Vesak Day in Colombo, Sri LankaDinuka Liyanawatte/ReutersA monkey sits on an idol of Buddha during celebrations for the birth anniversary of Buddha in Kathmandu, NepalNavesh Chitrakar/ReutersBuddhist monks prostrate themselves at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on the eve of Vesak Day in SingaporeEdgar Su/ReutersWorshippers offer prayers marking the birthday of Buddha at a shrine on a hilltop overlooking Seoul, South KoreaEd Jones/AFPA Buddhist nun collects alms from followers in Magelang, Central Java, IndonesiaUlet Ifanasti/Getty ImagesDevotees unfurl a 196-foot-long sacred Thangka during Vesak Day celebrations at the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist temple in Ipoh, MalaysiaManan Vatsayana/AFPA devotee lights butter lamps at Swayambhu in Kathmandu, NepalNavesh Chitrakar/ReutersA devotee returns after offering prayers at a giant idol of Buddha at Swayambhu in Kathmandu, NepalNavesh Chitrakar/ReutersA man places a container holding what is believed to be a relic of Buddha in front of a Child Buddha statue while celebrating Vesak Day at Quan Su Pagoda, Hanoi, VietnamKham/ReutersBuddhist monks clean a statue of Lord Buddha inside a temple in Kolkata, IndiaRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA devotee hangs prayer flags during Vesak Day, which marks the Buddha's birthday, at Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, NepalPrakash Mathema/AFPA Nepalese Buddhist monk lights butter lamps to mark the Buddha's birthday, in KathmanduPrakash Mathema/AFPYoung Malaysian devotees watch a priest dressed in traditional costume dance at the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist temple in IpohManan Vatsayana/AFPA Cambodian woman prays in front of a shrine out side the Royal Palace in Phnom PenhTang Chhin Sothy/AFPSri Lankan commuters drive past decorative lanterns installed for Vesak in ColomboLakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFPBuddhist monks walk around the streets to receive alms from followers in Magelang, Central Java, IndonesiaUlet Ifanasti/Getty Images
