In Pictures: Vesak Day celebrations in Asia

Vesak Day, which fell on May 10, is the most sacred day to hundreds of millions of Buddhists around the world. The day acknowledges the contribution that Buddhism has made for over 2½ millennia to the spirituality of humanity. Here's a look at how the day was celebrated across Asia.

Updated

Published

May 11, 2017, 10:14 AM

A man places a container holding what is believed to be the relics of Buddha in front of a Child Buddha statue in Quan Su Pagoda, Hanoi, Vietnam. PHOTO: REUTERS

A devotee prays in front of a Buddha statue in Colombo, Sri Lanka. PHOTO: REUTERS

Monks clean a statue of Lord Buddha at Wat Pan Tao in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Devotees offer prayers next to oil lamps at a Buddhist temple in Chandigarh, India. PHOTO: REUTERS

A devotee offers prayers at Swayambhu in Kathmandu, Nepal. PHOTO: REUTERS

A lightning bolt from a summer rain storm illuminates the sky as streaks of light from candles mark the paths devotees take as they walk around the statue of Buddha at the Phutthamonthon in Nakhon Pathom near Bangkok. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

A devotee lights a lamp in offering at Swayambhu in Kathmandu, Nepal. PHOTO: REUTERS

Buddhists visit the Shwedagon Pagoda during Kason Watering Festival celebrations, also know as Vesak Day, in Yangon, Myanmar. PHOTO: REUTERS

Monks meditate at Wat Pan Tao in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Buddhists releasing sky lanterns in front of the Borobudur temple during a ceremony to mark Vesak day in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

A boy hangs lights on a tree in Colombo, Sri Lanka. PHOTO: REUTERS

A devotee uses an umbrella during light rain as he and others walk around the statue of Buddha at the Phutthamonthon in Nakhon Pathom near Bangkok. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Buddhists carrying candles as they pray at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand. PHOTO: REUTERS

People walk around a stupa, at the top of the Wat Saket, or Golden Mount, in Bangkok. PHOTO: REUTERS

Children from Dharma Junior, a Buddhist class for those aged five to 12, having fun at the Sangha blessing corner in Singapore. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

The three step, one bow ceremony, which reminds devotees of the long and occasionally difficult journey towards enlightenment, taking place in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Singapore. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Monks mark Vesak Day at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

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