Poson Poya is celebrated every year by Sri Lankan Buddhists and it commemorates the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. It is the most important full moon holiday or Poya of the year and is the 2nd most important Buddhist holiday of the year after Vesak.

The festival is celebrated in June and coincides with the full moon, this year it was celebrated on the 24th of June.

Celebrations include prayer, pilgrimages to religious sites including Anuradhapura and Mihintale in Sri Lanka, reciting stories, music, dancing, the giving of free food and teas provided by special vendors or Dansals, and the hanging of paper lanterns.

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There are close to 300,000 Sri Lankan Tamil and 150,000 Sri Lankan Sinhalese and 300,000 Buddhists living in the UK according to 2021 ONS Census predictions.

At Here And Now 365 – defining Multicultural Marketing, we are dedicated to building bridges between brands and Britain’s multicultural communities.

Here are some images of the Poson Poya celebrations that took place in the UK this year.