How to Celebrate Waisak Day (2023 guide)
About Waisak Day
On the full moon of May, Indonesia celebrates Waisak (‘Vesak’) Day – a magical day of celebrations that marks Buddha’s life, death, and enlightenment. Buddhists monks will make the pilgrimage from near and far across south east Asia to, most commonly, celebrate in ceremony at the world’s largest Buddhist temple – Borobudur Temple. Between quiet contemplation in meditation and watching my secret wishes written on a paper lantern float into the full moon sky…Waisak Day 2022 was an incredibly magical experience for me and I can’t wait to share my tips to hopefully inspire and guide your 2023 visit. In my research, I wasn’t able to find a traveler’s guide on this auspicious day.
Getting There
Waisak Day is celebrated at Buddhist temples all across Indonesia however is most revered on the ancient grounds of Borobudur Temple. To get here, you’re best flying into Indonesia’s culture capital, Yogyakarta. From Yogya, it is about a 1.5 hour taxi drive to Borobudur Temple area (Borobudur). My taxi cost about 500,00RPH due to travelling on a public holiday where taxi’s were limited in availability. Normally a taxi should cost around 300,000RPH. My long journey from Bukit Lawang (North Sumatra) was about 14 hours door-to-door.
Other options are via Bus and Grab (ride share).
How to Book Tickets
- Check out https://waisakborobudur.com/ticket/ as they are updating regularly.
- I winged it on the day since there was minimal info available (since I was travelling in the quiet post-covid period). If this is also you, closer to the time, ask your hostel for locals tickets for both waisak day entrance and lantern ceremony. The crew at Watu Agung kindly went out of their way to help me out by connecting the dots with the local festival agencies, which saved me on ‘tourist prices’ and I met some lovely locals along the way.
- I followed @lampion.waisak2022 previously for info, but now found as @borobudurmeditation
Where to Stay
I stayed at Watu Agung Guesthouse & Art Gallery for about $30 per night, which is a short walk less than 500 metres from the temple’s entrance. Industrial styled rooms are neat, comfortable, and warmly lit. The guesthouse restaurant serves traditional Indonesian and Western meals – both are delectable.
On the Day
The day begins early with a precession parade starting at a nearby temple in the hours just before sunrise. People and police fill the streets. Borobudur Temple itself is closed to the public to accommodate Buddhists in Ceremony, but the exterior view and surrounding gardens are still wonderful to explore.
This year (2022) there were 2 sessions (6pm-7:30pm and 8:30pm-10pm for the actual lantern ceremony). I arrived to the temple grounds around 5pm with plenty of time to wander and watch the sunset turn all kinds of purple and pink.
The actual lantern ceremony was ethereal and cathartic. I found myself sat adjacent to Devi – a local traveller, teacher from Surabaya, and new kindred spirit / soul sister – with tears streaming down my face. The pent up emotions of the last 3 years and global pandemic found its way out of my eyeballs. Collective calm, change, and hope was palpable in the air, which resonated with the gentle hum of monk’s chanting. After time for meditation, paper lanterns were lit in small groups and lifted into the air, allowing each of our 3 wishes to float above.
Other things to explore:
Explore the Borobudur Temple grounds, local markets, and festival activities.
- If you have more time to spare, waiting for the evening sessions to start, take a short ojek and explore the famous ‘Ayam’ (chicken) temple. The temple isn’t actually of a chicken but of a dove, which was built to represent united peace among all religions and spiritualities. Make sure to see the Wall of Hope and bask in a moment of quiet in one of the Single Meditation Rooms.
Costs
- Flight from Medan to Yogyakarta 1.5milrph (~$150AUD)
- Taxi / Gojek from Yogyakarta to Borobudur – 300,000rph (~$30AUD)
- Waisak Day Entrance & Lantern Ceremony – 20,000rph (~$20AUD)
- Watu Agung hostel – 300,000rph – 400,000 (~$30AUD – $40AUD)
- Daily food and spending as per your budget.
Other Tips
- Book your tickets as early as you can.
- Borobudur Temple itself is closed to the public to accommodate Buddhists in Ceremony, but the exterior view and surrounding gardens are still wonderful to explore.
- Download WhatsApp for best mode of communication with local businesses and guides, there is often free WiFi around.
- Wear white and culturally appropriate temple dress etiquette (wear clothing to cover below knees, shoulders, and chest). A lightweight scarf/sarong and a cotton button up are always handy to have in your day kit.
- Ponder your 3 wishes to send into the sky 🙂 and enjoy the meditation.
- Follow the local professional photographers for great vantage points…I accidentally did this and it was a fortunate series of events.
- Be prepared for crowds. As an easily triggered claustrophobic person, I found myself sardined in a crowd of
