When is Vesak Day?

12 May 2025

Read: Guide to Public Holidays in 2025

What is Vesak Day about?

The most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar, Vesak Day commemorates the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Gautama Buddha. 

The religious affair starts in the morning with a ceremony on the temple grounds. The Buddhist flag will be raised and hymns will be sung. Devotees may also present flowers, candles and joss sticks to their teachers as offerings that symbolise life’s transiency.

Devotees believe that the merits they earn from carrying out good and kind deeds on Vesak Day multiplies exponentially. Thus, practices like donating blood and releasing caged birds and animals can be observed on this day.   

Read: Cultural Festivals in Singapore

What practices can be observed on Vesak Day? 

Going vegetarian

To commemorate the occasion, devotees practise good deeds, and that includes refraining from killing of any kind. To discourage the killing of animals, many Buddhists consume only vegetarian food as part of the day’s observance.  

Donating blood

Keeping to the theme of performing positive actions and making others happy, donating blood is a significant Buddhist practice on Vesak Day. Devotees organise mass blood donations at hospitals, visit elderly homes and donate money to the less fortunate.

Offering flowers and joss sticks

Buddhist devotees may offer flowers, joss sticks and candles to their teachers on Vesak Day. These symbolic offerings serve as reminders that life is fleeting, just like the withering flower and burnt out candles and joss sticks.