Wesak Holiday 2025
knight • 12 May 2025 •
I was completely unaware that today (Monday) is a public holiday until Saturday. This explains why, when I informed one of my clients on Friday that I would send her the revised version of a project on Monday, she seemed anxious to receive it as soon as possible. Ultimately, I promised to deliver it to her over the weekend. After learning from my kids that Monday is a public holiday, everything clicked into place for me.
Today marks Wesak Day, and it’s surprising that both Singapore and Malaysia are celebrating this public holiday on the same day. I previously thought the two countries celebrated it on different days. I remember enjoying this holiday when Singapore observed a holiday while the kids in Malaysia continued to go to school, giving me a nice break.
After doing some Google research, I found out more about the differences. “Vesak Day is celebrated on different dates in Malaysia and Singapore due to the different lunar calendars they follow. Malaysia uses the Hindu-Buddhist lunar calendar, celebrating Vesak on the first full moon in May. Singapore, on the other hand, follows the Chinese lunar calendar, celebrating Vesak on the second full moon of the Visakha month, which is typically in May or early June.”
Now I understand why sometimes the celebrations align and other times they do not.
Comments
“Vesak Day, also known as Buddha Day or Buddha Purnima, is celebrated to commemorate the three significant events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and his death.”
And what exactly are you celebrating on this holiday?