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
11 June 2026
