KUALA LUMPUR: Wesak Day was observed on a grand scale among Buddhists in the country today, albeit with some masking up and staying vigilant to the lingering spectre of Covid-19 after two years of muted celebration.
A check by Bernama showed that Buddhists in several states started visiting temples early in the morning to perform religious ceremonies to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddharta Gautama Buddha, the religion's founder.
In Kedah, hundreds of Buddhists flocked to Wat Nikrodharam Temple in Alor Star as early as 7am to conduct prayer rituals.
Tan Juay Kok, 43, from Taman Gunung Hijau in Alor Star said he came to pray at 8.20am and did not find it crowded yet inside the temple, popular known as Wat Siam Teluk Wanjah.
"There were not too many people then. It was a breeze for me to conduct the prayer ceremony. Although it is not mandatory to wear face masks, many worshippers masked up as a precautionary measure against Covid-19," he said.
Tan Hooi Chia, 38, from Taman Saga, Alor Star, who brought along her one-year-old son, said she arrived about 9am to avoid crowd as a caution against Covid-19.
In Selangor, a check at the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, saw devotees arrived as early as 8am with most of the faithful donning face masks during the prayer ceremony.
The temple took the initiative to hold free health screenings.
In Kuala Lumpur, honorary secretary of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardana Association for the Maha Vihara Brickfields Buddhist Temple Tilak Leslie said this year's Wesak Day was more vibrant and livelier than last year.
He said the temple expected 25,000 to 30,000 people to show up for the Wesak Day celebration and Transport Minister Anthony Loke was scheduled to launch the float and candlelight procession later today.
He said about 12 decorated floats would take part in the 12km-long procession, which is a four-hour parade starting at Maha Vihara Buddha Temple, passing through Little India, Pasar Seni, Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang and then back to the temple.
In Perlis, Perlis Buddhist Association president Hong Bee Im said the parade of four decorated vehicles and a rickshaw, for a 2km distance, scheduled to start at 7.45pm from Taman Mutiara to Jalan Jubli Perak, Jalan Bukit Lagi, Jalan Raja Syed Alwi, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and through downtown Kangar.
In Penang, Wesak Day state committee secretary Datuk Lim Gim Hin said the Wesak Day celebration continued until night with a parade of 30 teams and procession of floats for an 8km distance, starting (at 7pm) and ending at Jalan Burma, which is in front of the Penang Buddhist Association building with an expected attendance of over 20,000 Buddhists and orange-robed monks.
In Negri Sembilan, Malaysian Buddhist Association state committee member Jonathan Low said 3,000 devotees participated in the procession held yesterday, while tonight's parade would involve five decorated vehicles including horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws.
He said over 300 devotees came to Yen Kok Chee Temple in Seremban at 8am to perform religious ceremonies, including offerings with bouquets of flowers and bathing the Buddha statue in the temple as a symbol of self-purification.
In Kelantan, among the locations that are in the Wesak Day spotlight are Wat Photivihan in Kampung Jambu, Tumpat, which is famous for a Sleeping Buddha or a reclining Buddha statue measuring 40.9m long and 10.9m high, in addition to Wat Machimmaram in Kampung Jubakar, which is famed for its sitting Buddha statue.
In Perak, trustee of Wat Siribunyamagaram Temple in Ipoh, Ching Thoo Kim, 57, said thousands of devotees were expected to attend the procession which is one of the main ceremonies in the afternoon.
In Sarawak, the prayer hall of the Sarawak Buddhist Association was filled with Buddhists for religious ceremonies in conjunction with Wesak Day, in addition to charitable activities like a blood donation drive. --Bernama