Commemorating the Triple Blessed Event of the Buddha, the National Vesak Week begins today (10). It will be held until the 16th run concurrently with the State Vesak Festival, cantered in the Nuwara Eliya District, is scheduled to be held until the 16th.

The opening ceremony of this year’s National Vesak Festival, presided over by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is scheduled to be held today at 1.30 pm at the Nuwara Eliya Town Hall.

Arrangements have been made to hold an environmental and ethical cleanliness program on May 11th under the Clean Sri Lanka program, a Vesak Full Moon Poya day program on May 12th, a values training program on May 13th, a program for the training of monks and nuns on May 14th, a spiritual development program on May 15th, and a promotion program for a healthy society on May 16th.

In addition to this, archaeological and heritage exhibitions, alms giving’s (dansal), Vesak decorations (thorana), lantern exhibitions, devotional song programs, etc., have also been arranged.

This year’s State Vesak Festival will be held under the theme “Let us associate with noble friends who possess good qualities,” and it is jointly organized by the All Ceylon Sasana Rakshaka Mandalaya, the President’s Office, the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, the Department of Buddhist Affairs, the Central Provincial Council, and the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat.

Ajith Weerasuriya