Today is 'Wesak' full moon poya day. 'Wesak' is the Sinhalese name for the month of May, and 'poya' refers to the full moon days that fall once every month.
The significance of Wesak lies with Lord Buddha, it was on a Wesak full moon day (somewhere around 6th century BC) that he was born as Prince Siddhartha to a regional king and queen near the now India-Nepal border. And it was on a Wesak full moon day, 35 years later that he attained enlightenment. It was also on the same day another 45 years later that the enlightened one passed away.
Buddhists all over the world celebrate this day for its symbolic significance. Some prefer to observe 'sil' which means that they will spend the day, disciplining themselves to behave in the fashion of an 'arhath' disciple. Practicing 'morality', 'compassion', 'humility' and meditation to calm the mind.
In Sri Lanka (I'm not sure about other Buddhist countries), towards night fall people light up the whole country with lanterns and creative work, filled with lights, candles and colours. The creative aspects of children and adults alike come alive during this time. And there's so much to see no matter where in the country you live.
The symbolic aspect of this 'light ceromony' is the depiction of 'enlightenment'. Which brought the light of 'wisdom' and drew away the darkness of 'ignorance'.
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