Making April 29th a Vesak Poya Day is a joke -- Malwatta Chapter Anunayaka

Making April 29th a Vesak Poya Day is a joke -- Malwatta Chapter Anunayaka

What Niyagoda Sri Vijithasiri Malwatta Chater Anunayaka thero said yesterday (23) was that fixing Vesak Full Moon Poya Day for the month of April which is against Sri Lankan tradition is something that should not be done. The Malwatta Anunayaka further said that the international Vesak festival and Vesak Poya Day has been fixed in other Buddhist countries for 29th May and that only Sri Lanka wishes to celebrate Vesak Poya for the

month of April is a big joke.

Making a special statement to the media, Malwatta Anunayaka said further, "The full moon Poya Day which falls in the month of May is considered as Vesak Poya. The month of May is the  month of Vesak. It is a tradition. The Vesak Poya Day in the year 2018 could have been fixed for the May 20th. The Vesak Full moon Poya Day in  which Buddhist people are involved in meritorious deeds on behalf of the Lord Buddha and dedicate themselves to Lord Buddha being selfishly changed is not an agreeable thing. The Full Moon Poya Day which falls on April 29th is the Poya Day of Bak Maha. Though it is not wrong to consider the Full Moon Poya Day falling at the end of Bak Maha in accordance with Shaka Rajavansha as 'adhipasaloswaka Poya Day', it is not suitable to consider it as the Vesak Full Moon Day. In countries such as Thailand, China, India Vesak day is celebrated on Full Moon Poya Day which falls at the end of the month of May. Even the international Vesak festival is celebrated on Full Moon Poya Day appearing towards the end of the month of May.

Arriving at decisions of this nature by acknowledging the Buddhist Year i a traditional way on the advice of somebody alone and because of debatable decisions of this sort, the nation could undergo negative results". A competent astrologer who published forecasts for this year had pointed out that because of taking unfavourable decisions it may result in tragedies within the country, homicides, suicides and loss of life on a big scale. The Malwatta Anunayaka said that the collapse of the garbage dump in Sinhala New Year last year, the landslides, tragedies resulting from floods, climatic changes and loss of life are still continuing to happen.