Wisaka Bucha (วันวิสาขบูชา), pronounced
Wisakha Bucha in Thai, is the most important religious holiday in the Buddhist calendar.
It celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha. According to the Theravada Buddhist traditions observed in South East Asian countries, these three events all took place on the same day of the year, the full moon day of the Indian lunar month of Wisaka. Thus, the Buddha’s enlightenment took place on his thirty-fifth birthday and he passed away on his eightieth birthday. Wisaka, the sixth lunar month, usually falls in May. In most of these countries, including Thailand, it is an official public holiday.