Vesak in Sri Lanka

What is worn for Vesak in Sri Lanka

Vesak is the Buddhist festival of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, kept on the full moon of May, called the Vesak poya day, and by the whole country in Sri Lanka. The streets are hung with paper lanterns, and pandals show pictures of the Jataka tales, the stories of the Buddha's former lives. Free food stalls, called dansal, serve people along the road. Buddhists go to the temple in white, as on every full moon poya day, as a mark of purity and of keeping the precepts. Women wear a white saree or osariya, often cotton, without much jewellery. The date is the poya day set by the Sri Lankan calendar and can differ by a day from other Buddhist countries.

The sarees

OsariyaA white one is common for temple visits.SariA plain white saree, usually of cotton.