GEORGE TOWN: Bathing Buddha and offering flowers for the first time was a memorable experience for nine-year-old Chung Xin Ying.
Writing a note on a small bouquet before placing it near the statue of Buddha, she said she wished to do well in school.
“It was a nice experience as it was my first time here and making an offering.
“I liked writing a note with my name and wishes,” she said at the Malaysian Buddhist Association in Jalan Burma on the eve of Wesak Day.
Xin Ying was at the association yesterday with her older sister Ann Qian, 11, aunt Chew Bee Lay, 46, and grandmother Lee Choi Ling, 62.
Chew said she wanted her nieces to experience praying during Wesak Day.
“As they are growing older, it is time to teach them about the celebration and gaining merits in life.
“This felt like a good way to start as I wanted them to experience the celebration,” she said.
Chew said she wished she could bring them for the procession, but expected a long drive and heavy traffic from her home in Teluk Kumbar.
“It was great as it is their school holidays and the weekend.
“They were excited to write their notes and learn about the celebration first-hand,” said the insurance agent.
At the Penang Lee Sih Chong Soo, where the 4.5m-high main Buddha float was being decorated, lead decorator Honey Bee Lim, 81, said she designed parts of the float to feature satellite dish-like floral arrangements to suit the theme, “Navigating the Digital Era, Fostering Collective Wisdom”.
“I have worked with the association for over 40 years and try to incorporate the theme into the decorations each year. We used thousands of flowers donated by devotees.
“They are mainly pompoms from Cameron Highlands, lotus flowers from Thailand, baby’s breath and cordyline fruticosa, commonly known as ti leaves.
“We use pandan leaves as well to make the float fragrant and cover the surface areas,” she said.
Lim said the goal was for the float to look like a sea of flowers from a distance as it made its journey around town.
“I placed flowers arranged to show the year 2026 on the front of the float and sine waves on the side to go with the theme,” she said.
For Wesak Day, 23 floats will leave the clanhouse at 6pm for a 7km route through Jalan Kelawai, Lorong Burma, Lebuhraya Peel, Jalan Macalister, Jalan Perak, Jalan Anson and Lorong Madras before returning to Penang Lee Sih Chong Soo in Jalan Burma.
