Happy Vesak Day!

Pink lotus flower

Today is Vesak Day, the so-called "birthday" of Gautama Buddha. It is one of the most important holidays on the Buddhist calendar, as it celebrates the birth, nirvana, and death of the Buddha. It coincides with a full moon in the month of Vesākha, and is also a public holiday here in Singapore. People spend the day meditating, performing charitable work, and venerating the Buddha by "bathing" statues.

The lotus flower, shown above from a floating village in Bangkok, is a symbol of purity. The pink lotus is the "highest" flower and is specifically tied to the Buddha himself.

Here's another photo, this one from Wat Arun, one of the more prominent Buddhist temples in Bangkok (and let me tell you, there are a lot of temples there).