Dhaka: The Buddhists’ community will celebrate their second largest festival Prabarana Purnima, in Dhaka as elsewhere across the country on Thursday with due solemnity.

The festival is also known as Ashvini Purnima that marks conclusion of the three months long seclusion of the monks inside their monasteries for self-edification and atonement of their defilement.

The Purnima follows a month-long preaching of sermons by the Buddhist monks for the welfare of every beings and whole humankind through a month long yellow robes offering ceremony that begins the day after the Purnima.

According to the legend, Buddha once clipped some strands of hair from his head and said that if he were qualified to attain supreme wisdom and enlightenment, the hairs would not fall down but go up instead, in the long run which they did.

However, the Sammilita Buoddha Samity this year cancelled the release of candle lit air balloons made of coloured paper and set free to flow towards the sky in the evening which is the chief attraction of the festival.

The Buddhists decided to cancel the festivity in protest against the grisly persecution by the Myanmar government of Rohingya Muslims and express solidarity with the present governments’ stance on the crisis.

The Buddhists in Bangladesh will donate to the relief fund for the Rohingya refugees.

The Purnima will be celebrated in all monasteries, respective offices of the religious organizations and educational institutions through day-long programmes.

The programmes will be heralded with hoisting of the national and religious flags atop all monasteries in the dawn and chanting of the sacred verses from the Tripitaka.

Breaking of fasting of the monks, mass prayers, blood donations, Sangadanas, discussions, panchashila and pradip puja are the highlights of the programmes.

In the city, the main religious congregations will be held at Dharmarajik Bouddha Bihar, International Bouddha Temple, Kalachandpur Bouddha Bihar, Uttara Bouddha Bihar and Ashulia Maithree Bhabona Kendra.

In Chittagong, the religious congregations will be held at different temple including Nandankanan Buddhist temple, Katalganj Nabapandit Vihar, Shakkymuni Mohasashan Bouddha Vihar at Agrabad, Purnachar International Buddhists Monastery at Devpahar and Sarbajanin Bouddha Vihar at Momin road.

A number of Buddhist periodicals will be brought out on the occasion.

Special prayers will be held in all monasteries seeking peace and prosperity of the nation as well as global peace.

Members of the law enforcement agencies have already been deployed in and around all temples in the city and districts for smooth celebration of the festival.