Throughout the centuries, Buddhism has gained a worldwide following based upon teachings on how to live a proper life in order to attain Enlightenment. In Malaysia, it has its share of followers. Therefore, it is no wonder why the Wesak Day celebration in Malaysia draws large crowds of devotees.

Besides being the time of the year when Buddhist temples become shrouded in a wonderful display of lights, it is also the point in time when orthodox Buddhists spend the entire sacred day at the temple engaging in meditation, chanting prayers and offering alms to Buddhist monks.

One of the well patronised temples in the country during Wesak Day is the Buddhist Vihara Temple at Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. The celebration begins at dawn when devotees gather at the temples to meditate. In the evening, the temple is gaily lit and a candlelight procession from the temple to Kuala Lumpur city takes place. Thousands of Buddhists and passersby throng the route of the procession, which is led by a decorated float with the Buddha statue in it.

Upon their return to the temple, a special open-air blessing service is performed and a sermon on the significance of Wesak Day is held. Ideally, the rest of the night is spent with devoted meditating, unison chanting and offering prayers to Lord Buddha by monks in safron robes. Besides that, food and donations are extended to the needy. Generous offerings of incense and joss sticks are also practised on this day.

In a nutshell, Wesak, which falls every year in May, is important because it marks three momentous events in Lord Gautama Buddha's life - his birthday, the enlightenment, and ultimately, his achievement of Nirvana.