Summary
Also known as Buddha Purnima or Buddha Day, Vesak is an important Buddhist festival celebrating the history of the religion. Celebrated on the first full moon in May, Buddhists may go to a temple to chant, pray, or mediate.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Short explainer (2 min) from PBS LearningMedia's *All About the Holidays*.
- What does Vesak celebrate?
- Why is the date tied to a full moon?
- What do people do at a temple on Vesak?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: Vesak, Buddhism, temple, meditate.
Try it: Draw a moon calendar for one month and mark the full moon, then write one sentence about a Vesak tradition.