Media Release
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Netherlands celebrated the sacred Vesak Festival 2026 by organizing a
series of religious and cultural programmes on 31 May 2026 at the Embassy premises. The event
brought together a cross-section of the Sri Lanka community in the Netherlands to celebrate the birth,
enlightenment and passing of the Lord Buddha.
The Embassy staff had constructed and decorated a special “Buddhu Madura”, Pandol depicting the
sacred Sath Sathiya and Lanterns at the Embassy premises for this event. The religious proceedings
were conducted by the Venerable Anandaghosa Thero from the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in
the Netherlands. The programme commenced with a Gilanpasa Pooja followed by chanting of Pirith to
invoke blessings of peace, harmony and well-being for all.
The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Netherlands, Rekha Gunasekera quoted the Vesak Message of
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that “Vesak is not merely a religious observance, but also a
magnificent cultural festival that has, for thousands of years, reflected Sri Lankan identity, solidarity and
artistic creativity. It is indisputable that the programmes organized alongside Vesak celebrations, giving
prominence to acts of religious observance such as almsgiving, the observance of sil, meditation and
Dhamma sermons, as well as the devotional offerings and festivities including dansals, Buddhist
devotional songs, beautifully crafted lanterns and splendid pandals, greatly contribute towards fostering
mutual understanding, reconciliation and coexistence among communities.” In this context, the
Ambassador was pleased to note that the Vesak celebration organized at the Embassy was attended by
Sri Lankan community members of diverse faiths and beliefs.
The Ambassador also stated that the government had declared Vesak week from 27 May to 2 June with
a number of religious and cultural events held all over the country. Likewise the Embassy had made
every effort to capture some of these essential festivities in the Netherlands. As such, the Embassy
premises was transformed into a vibrant Vesak Kalapaya, beautifully recreating the festive atmosphere
traditionally associated with Vesak celebrations in Sri Lanka. The Chancery building and garden were
elegantly decorated with colorful Vesak lanterns, Buddhist flags, lights, and a Vesak Pandol built by the
Embassy staff, all of which were appreciated by the attendees. The Sri Lankan community and the
Embassy staff performed Bakthi Gee, adding a profound and cultural dimension to the Vesak celebration.
In keeping with the Buddhist tradition of dansal, the Embassy organized several dansals for all guests
attending the event, including kadala dansala , string hoppers with kirihodi and pol sambol dansala, roast
paan served with seeni sambol and dhal curry dansala, vegetable pastry dansala, kokis and ice cream
dansala as well as tea and cool drinks dansala.
The Embassy wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in
The Netherlands, the participants of the Bakthi Gee programme, the esteemed community members
who contributed to the arrangements and all attendees for a successful celebration of Vesak 2026.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
The Hague
08 June 2026
