Poson, also known as Poson Poya, is an annual

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

held by Sri Lankan Buddhists celebrating the arrival of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in the 3rd century BC. The festival is the most important Poya (full moon) holiday of the year and the second most important Buddhist holiday of the year, being surpassed in importance by

Vesak Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemora ...

. Poson is celebrated throughout the island, with the most important ceremonies of the festival being held in

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central P ...

and Mihintale. The festival is held in early June, coinciding with the June

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This mean ...

Festival

Poson is celebrated to commemorate the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Mahinda in 236 BC. The focal point of the religious festival is the Buddhist monastic complex on the mountain of Mihintale, where Arahath Mahinda Thero preached Buddhism to one of the kings, king Devanampiyatissa, of Sri Lanka. Celebrations are also centered around Buddhist sites in Anuradhapura, which was one of the first cities in Sri Lanka to convert to Buddhism. During Poson, these two locations attract thousands of pilgrims from across Sri Lanka. These pilgrims dress in white and worship at the spiritual locales. Many of the most devoted pilgrims spend hours in quiet contemplation to honor the traditions of Buddhism. The Poson Festival is celebrated throughout the island, where, huge electronically lit Pandols are showcased in various city centres, dansals (free food stores organized by communities) are organized. Houses are decorated with Lanterns, and lights to commemorate the day in a festive manner. The celebrations go on from 5 days to a week starting from the full moon poya day. Some parts of Sri Lanka prohibit the selling of meat and alcohol during the festival.

References

{{Public holidays in Sri Lanka Buddhist holidays Public holidays in Sri Lanka Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka Observances held on the full moon