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Celebrating the serenity of Vesak amidst the pandemic Singapore Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong performing the ritual of bathing Prince Siddhartha during a visit to the Singapore Buddhist Federation on Sunday. With him is the Venerable Kwang Phing, President of the Federation. Source:Dailynews This marks the second year that Buddhists around the world will celebrate Vesak, a holiday commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and final passing into parinirvana, under the confines of pandemic life. Similar to Vesak 2020, many countries and Buddhist temples have opted for scaled-down or online versions of the traditional events, which include prayer, chanting, the lighting of candles and paper lanterns, and the offering of gifts. In Thailand, where the Buddha’s birthday, or ‘Visakha Bucha Day’, falls today, religious activities will follow strict Covid-19 preventative measures, according to the Bangkok Post. Thailand’s Minister of Culture, Ittipol Khunplome, has encouraged Buddhists to celebrate Visakha Bucha Day via ...