Today is Navam Full Moon Poya Day 🌕
Every full moon (usually one a month) is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. Each of the full moons has its own name and they are days to commemorate key events in Buddhism.
Navam Full Moon has special significance for the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and in the world. The appointment of the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha as Aggrasharvaka namely Sariputta and Moggallana took place on a Navam Full Moon Poya Day.
Also, it is on a Navam Full Moon Poya Day that the Buddha proclaimed, for the first time, a code of fundamental ethical precepts for the monks. It is also on a Navam Full Moon Poya Day that Lord Buddha announced that, his Parinibbana would take place within three months.
Every full moon day is known as a Poya in the Sinhala language; this is when a practicing Sinhalese Buddhist visits a temple for religious observances. There are 13 or 14 Poyas per year. The term poya is derived from the Pali and Sanskrit work uposatha (from upa + vas "to fast"), primarily signifying "fast day". Generally shops and businesses are closed on Poya days, and the sale of alcohol and meat is forbidden.
