Waisak2021 with Special Full Moon (26 May)
Sadly, we had Waisak Day under Covid-19 pandemic this year again.
Borobudur Temple has been opened to public with strict health protocol but there was no events/rituals of Waisak this year too.
We went to Borobuudur Temple and Mendut Temple in this morning. We just wanted to see what was going on in the temples.
But in both temples, there weren’t any decorations for Waisak, also no any Buddhist monks nor the Buddhists who were praying in the temples. We just found the letters “Waisak” on the hannging banner of Mendut Monastery where was also very quiet and closed the entrance gate.
(Now, Borobudur Temple and Mendut Temple are opened everyday, but the tourists are not allowed to go up to the temples unlike before the pandemic. It means that the tourists can’t see Borobudur Temple’s relief/stupa and Mendut Temple’s Buddha statues at all)
We had very rare full moon tonight.
First, it was a supermoon that we can see the bigger moon because the distance between the moon and the earth get closer. And then, it was a blood moon that is seen more red than normal because of total eclipse. So tonight’s moon can be called “SUPER BLOOD MOON”. How wonderful if we could see the lanterns with lit-up Borobudur Temple and the SUPER BLOOD MOON…
Tonight, we had very clear sky. The moon looked bigger than normal, but we couldn’t see red color on the moon.
The Buddhist Organization that holds Waisak lived stream some Buddhist contents online for the Buddhists and they prayed all together this year.
As like this, the second Waisak in the pandemic went by.
We do hope that we could celebrate next year’s Waisak like before.
