Mandatory Credit: Photo by Sanka Gayashan/REX/Shutterstock (8818641b) Sri Lankan Buddhist monks hold parasols and begging bowls as they walk to collect alms from devotees during a ceremony to mark the religious week coinciding with Vesak Buddhist monks walk to collect alms, Colombo, Sri Lanka - 11 May 2017 Buddhists around the world Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Nepal, South Korea observe Vesak festival the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Lord Buddha falling on the full moon in the month of May every year. The United Nations Day of Vesak Conference will be held in Sri Lanka with 1600 participants from 85 countries from May 12th to 14th in Colombo and Kandy.