KUALA LUMPUR: Perhaps the best known date on the Buddhist calendar, familiar even to non-Buddhists, is the thrice sacred day of "Wesak". And Malaysians will celebrate the Wesak festival on Monday (May 12), which is also a public holiday in Malaysia.
Wesak is the name of a month in the ancient Indian calendar and it usually falls in the May though sometimes it may commence in the later part of April or extend to the early part of June. Wesak is derived from the original Pali word "Wesakha" or Sanskrit "Waishakha". In some countries it is also known simply as Buddha Day.
