A devotee praying in the Thai Buddhist Chetawan temple, Petaling Jaya. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
AFTER a two-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Buddhists in Malaysia will be able to physically celebrate Wesak Day tomorrow in temples.
Buddhist temples throughout the country had started preparations early to celebrate this auspicious event, which commemorates Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing into Nirvana.
Malaysia’s Buddhist chief high priest Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana said they were excited to “open the gates” after two years since the pandemic started.
“During the movement control order, we only got to celebrate Wesak Day virtually and this year, we consider ourselves very fortunate as we are able to move around and celebrate physical events.
“It is time for us to adapt to this situation and curb the spread of Covid-19.
“We are responsible for the safety of our devotees; that was the reason we came up with safety guidelines,” he said.
One of the safety measures is not allowing high-risk category people like children below 12 years old and people with symptoms to visit temples tomorrow.
Only devotees who are fully vaccinated and their MySejahtera record showing ‘Low Risk No Symptom’ status are allowed to enter temples.
The people are also required to wear a face mask throughout their visit.
Dhammaratana urged devotees to adhere to the regulations which included not lingering in the temple compound after performing prayers, to avoid large crowds in temples.
The Maha Vihara temple in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, is prepared for a simple yet meaningful celebration for Wesak Day.
Buddhist Maha Vihara president Sirisena Perera said some changes had to be done by the temple’s committee as a safety measure to reduce the chances of Covid-19 spreading among devotees.
“This temple is known for its float procession where in the evening, we will go around Kuala Lumpur city accompanied by 30 to 40 monks.
“A large crowd of nearly 30,000 devotees used to gather to watch the float procession before the pandemic in 2020.
“This year, we are not having the float procession, to abide by the government’s prohibition on large gatherings of people,” said Sirisena.
He said the temple would also not be distributing food and drinks for devotees tomorrow as it would create a long queue which the temple wanted to avoid.
He highlighted that this year, 12 monks from Sri Lanka and a monk from Armenia would offer blessings to devotees.
For the celebration, the temple will open to devotees tomorrow from 7am until 11pm.
The temple will be distributing holy string and holy water to all visitors.
In Petaling Jaya, the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple is celebrating Wesak Day from May 13 to 15.
The temple, which merges Thai and Malaysian Buddhist practices, has lined up a few activities in conjunction with the religious event.
“Devotees will be able to offer lights and flowers, bathe the Baby Buddha, participate in chanting sessions and circumambulate the ubosot (ordination hall),” said the temple’s executive manager Venerable Maha Noi.
“The monks will perform blessings, as we remind ourselves of Buddha’s compassionate teachings,” he added.
All devotees are required to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) during the festival, to ensure their safety at all times.
Part of the SOP includes wearing mask, sanitising hands regularly and allowing only those fully vaccinated and with “Low Risk No Symptom” status to enter the temple.
Maha Noi said the temple’s daily operations had been notably affected during the movement control order over the last two years.
It used to be open 24 hours for Wesak Day celebrations before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
This year, the temple is open from 6.30am to midnight to fully vaccinated devotees only.
“Normally we would receive about 1,000 to 2,000 visitors for Wesak Day celebrations.
“We are expecting more devotees this year since some of the Covid-19 SOP have been further relaxed last month,” said Maha Noi.
The Kwan Imm Temple in Klang, Selangor, will also be open to devotees for Wesak Day.
The 130-year-old temple in Jalan Raya Barat will hold prayers and ritual chanting sessions during the festival.
Additional safety measures taken by the temple include mandatory wearing of face mask and a maximum of 50 people allowed for each prayer session.
Previously, the temple used to be open from 6am to 8pm, but have changed their operating hours from 9am to 5pm due to the pandemic.
“We used to have over 10,000 visitors every year,” said Kwan Imm Temple principal Shi Fa Zhuo.
“Especially during Chinese New Year eve before the pandemic hit the country, more than 20,000 people used to come to our temple.
“More teenagers have been visiting the temple lately and we are prepared to accept more devotees this year,” Shi added.
The temple’s Wesak Day theme this year is centred on promoting harmony through mutual respect and helping each other.
A devotee praying in the Thai Buddhist Chetawan temple, Petaling Jaya. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
Volunteers at Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields preparing incense bundles that will be used by devotees as an offering to Buddha during Wesak Day celebration tomorrow. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
Sri Dhammaratana reminds devotees to adhere strictly to the safety measures when visiting Buddhist temples on Wesak Day.
Venerable Maha Noi says devotees are required to follow the SOP strictly during the festival to ensure their safety at all times.
Shi says he expects a big crowd this year as more teenagers have been visiting the Kwan Imm temple in Klang lately.
The main entrance to the Kwan Imm temple's main entrance in Klang.
Sirisena says 12 monks from Sri Lanka and a monk from Armenia will bless devotees at the Maha Vihara temple in Brickfields during Wesak celebrations.
