Vap Full Moon Poya 2025
What this means for your trip
Alcohol ban. End of Buddhist Lent (Vas) — monks emerge from three-month retreat. Kataragama pilgrimage season. Standard Poya closures.
Why Poya dates are transcribed, not calculated
A Poya day is whichever calendar day the Government Gazette declares, and that is not a pure function of the full-moon instant. In 2026 the full moon of 3 January was gazetted as 3 January, while the full moon of 3 March was gazetted as 2 March. Any rule of the form “full moon date, minus one if it falls before a given hour” fits a single year and then quietly breaks. Every date on OneCeylon comes from the gazette and is cross-checked against a computed full moon to catch transcription errors.
Common questions
When is Vap Full Moon Poya in 2025?
Vap Full Moon Poya falls on Monday 6 October 2025 in Sri Lanka. This date is taken from the Government Gazette.
What is closed on Vap Full Moon Poya?
Alcohol ban. End of Buddhist Lent (Vas) — monks emerge from three-month retreat. Kataragama pilgrimage season. Standard Poya closures.