This year’s Wesak Day celebration fell on Thursday, 4 May 2023 (part of a short work week which also include the May 1st Labour Day holiday). This year marks the 2567th year of the Buddhist calendar. For the first time in 3 years (after the COVID-19 pandemic), the Wesak Day procession was being held again in Penang, with the participation of 25 organizations. The 7km-long procession started from the Malaysian Buddhist Association building in Jalan Burma at around 6.30PM, and passed through Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Kelawai, Lorong Burma, Jalan Perak, Lebuhraya Peel, Jalan Macalister, Jalan Anson and Lorong Madras before returning to the starting point about 4 hours later.
I was in Jalan Burma in the Pulau Tikus area to catch a glimpse of the procession. Roadside car parks in the area were fully occupied, but there were ample car park spaces available in the Moulmein Rise building. The procession reached the Pulau Tikus area relatively early, at around 7+PM. It moved through the area quite smoothly. At the time, it wasn’t dark yet, so the lights on the floral floats don’t look that sharp. However, the floral floats were wonderful nonetheless. Here are some pictures of the Wesak Day procession taken in the Pulau Tikus area:
I have also posted a video of the Wesak Day celebration at the Malaysian Buddhist Association (Penang) on the Penang Local Stuff YouTube Channel:
