Full Moon Poya days in the Sinhala Calender

by English In Sinhala 2020-09-20

2020-09-20 9.3K views

Importance of Poya days in Sinhala

There are 12 Full Moon Poya Days in the Sinhala Calender. They are Duruthu (January), Navam (February), Medin (March), Bak (April), Vesak (May), Poson (June), Esala (July), Nikini (August), Binara (September), Vap (October), Il (November), Unduvap (December). For Buddhists, these Full Moon Poya Days are of great significance and they consider this particular day as an important day in observing religious activities. It is a day of sanity and peace.

Many lay devotees offer Salutation to the Buddha (Vandana), Observe taking the three Refugees (Ti-Sarana), and Atthanga Silva or the Eight Precepts. The Temples are filled to the capacity. There are Dhamma Sermons, Buddhist discussions offering of Alms to Buddhist Monks, and needy the ones on a big scale on Full Moon Poya Days. For many centuries these Buddhist traditions were followed uninterrupted.

What are the most significant events that took place on Full Moon Poya day?

It is the last Poya in the rainy season. The announcement of the future Buddhahood of Maitriya Bodhisatva, the first Buddhist Missionery activity by Sixty Arahaths, Jatila Brothers-Uruwela, Nadi, Gaya the Buddhist Order, Festival of “Devahaona” or Ascendency to heaven by Gautama Buddhist, acceptance of a Robe from the Future Buddha to be Maitriya, who was a disciple of Gautama Buddha, passing away of “Dharmasenapathi” one of the Chief Disiples Sariputta took place on Il Full Moon Poya Day.

Sariputra was one of the ten major disciples of the Buddha. Born in a village to the North of Rajagraha in Magadha, India he became a follower of the famous ascetic Samjaya, along with Moggallana. Each had one hundred disciplines, and all of them became followers of the Enlightened One, after the conversion of their masters. Sariputra was regarded as the most brilliant of the Buddha’s disciples. He passed away while Buddha was alive. Arahat Sariputra, on divining that his death was drawing near, made up his mind to end his Sansara Journey at the house in which he was born, after converting his mother Rupasari, from Brahmin Faith to Buddhism, informed the Enlightened One, accordingly and obtained permission to go with a Retinue of Bhikkhus to his native village named Nalaka seven days prior to attainment of Nibbana which occurred on an Il Full Moon Poya Day.