No Wesak Day Procession In Penang But Devotees Can Visit Temples For Prayers And Seek Blessings
Devotees are also allowed to join the ritual of bathing the Buddha statue.
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For the third consecutive year, Penang will not hold a Wesak Day procession this Sunday, 15 May, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to New Straits Times, the Penang Wesak Celebrations Committee chairman Datuk Dr Loh Hock Hun said the committee decided to cancel the procession for another year due to difficulties in controlling the crowd.
Annually during the procession, there will be more than 10,000 devotees attending and it is a challenge to control them (crowd)…hopefully next year, we can have the procession back.
Penang Wesak Celebrations Committee chairman Datuk Dr Loh Hock Hun
However, all is not lost because devotees are still allowed to visit temples to seek blessing.
Devotees can visit the temples the day before and on the actual day to light joss sticks, lotus candles, offer flowers and take part in chanting sessions.
They also get to take part in the ritual of bathing the Buddha statue at the Malaysian Buddhist Association (MBA) building in Burmah Road.
The ritual to bathe the Buddha statue will start from 7.30am to 10pm on Saturday (14 May) and from 6am to 10pm on Sunday (15 May).
The MBA hall can accommodate about 1,000 people at one time and all devotees must adhere strictly to the SOPs.
It’s also the 60th year since Wesak Day became a national public holiday in Malaysia and MBA will commemorate the event on Saturday.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow will officiate the official Wesak Day celebration ceremony on Sunday.
Wesak Day commemorates the day Siddartha Gautama Buddha was born, the day he achieved enlightenment and also the day he died.
READ MORE: What Is Wesak Day?
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