Vap Full Moon Poya 2026
What this means for your trip
Alcohol ban. End of Buddhist Lent (Vas) — monks emerge from their three-month retreat. Start of the 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 2026?
Vap Full Moon Poya falls on Sunday 25 October 2026 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 their three-month retreat. Start of the Kataragama pilgrimage season. Standard Poya closures.