Buddhist Festivals, Buddhist Festivals Tours, Festivals of Buddhist, Festival Tours of India, Buddhist New Year Festival


Buddhist

- Festivals & Special Days

Major celebrations of Buddhist culminate with the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. There are also many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community. Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar.

Buddhist Festivals are always joyful occasions. Typically on a festival day, lay people will go the local temple or monastery and offer food to the monks and take the Five Precepts and listen to a Dharma talk. In the afternoon, they distribute food to the poor to make merit and in the evening join perhaps in a ceremony of circumambulation a Stupa three time as a sign of respect to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. The day will conclude with evening chanting of the Buddha's teachings and meditation.

There are so many Buddhist festivals, here are some of the more important ones:

Buddhist New Year

The Buddhist New Year depends on the country of origin or ethnic background of the people. In Theravadin countries, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Lao, the new year is celebrated for three days from the first full moon day in April. In Mahayana countries the new year starts on the first full moon day in January. However, As for example, Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese celebrate late January or early February according to the lunar calendar, whilst the Tibetans usually celebrate about one month later.

Vesak or Visakah Puja ("Buddha Day")

Traditionally, Buddha's Birthday is known as Vesak or Visakah Puja (Buddha's Birthday Celebrations). Vesak is the major Buddhist festival of the year as it celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha on the one day, the first full moon day in May, except in a leap year when the festival is held in June. This celebration is called Vesak being the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

Magha Puja Day (Fourfold Assembly or "Sangha Day")

Magha Puja Day takes places on the full moon day of the third lunar month (March). This holy day is observed to commemorate an important event in the life of the Buddha. This event occurred early in the Buddha's teaching life.

Other major celebrations include Asalha Puja Day ("Dhamma Day"), Uposatha (Observance Day), Pavarana Day, Kathina Ceremony (Robe offering ceremony), Anapanasati Day, Abhidhamma Day, Songkran, Loy Krathong (Festival of Floating Bowls), The Ploughing Festival, The Elephant Festival, The Festival of the Tooth, Ulambana (Ancestor Day), Avalokitesvara's (Kuan Yin) Birthday
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