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Apr 5, 2023 · So, the key Buddhist holidays fall on the full moon, the 15th day, and the new moon. Some of the most important holidays in the Buddhist calendar include: Vesak – Celebrates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. Magha Puja – Commemorates a special sermon given by Buddha. Asalha Puja – Celebrates Buddha’s first sermon.
- Wesak
- Vassa
- Other Festivals
This is the celebration of Buddha's birth. For Theravada Buddhists, it is also the celebration of Buddha's enlightenment and death. During this celebration, statues of Buddha are decorated. Offerings are taken to monasteries, and sometimes there are fireworks.
This is a time to meditate and study. In Buddha's time, it was during the rainy season which meant it was hard to travel and teach so it was a good time for meditation and study. During Vassa, a meditation retreat, all Buddhists are supposed to set aside some time for study and meditation. At the end of Vassa, people bring new robes to monks.
Different countries have different Buddhist celebrations. For example in Japan, Buddhists celebrate the flower festival, or Hana Matsuri, to honor Buddha's birthday. Temples are decorated with cherry blossoms and children pour scented tea over statues of the baby Buddha. In India, Buddhists celebrate the Festival of the Sacred Tooth in honor of Bud...
- Buddhist New Year. During these new year celebrations, many Buddhists focus on purifying their homes and selves in observance of a fresh new start. People will bring offerings to monasteries, honor their ancestors, and light lanterns for good luck.
- Vesak: Buddha’s Birthday, Buddha Day, or Wesak. Practitioners will clean and decorate their houses and ask for purification from their suffering. Followers will visit monasteries, sometimes before dawn, and participate in mantras and ceremonies.
- Magha Puja: Sangha Day or Fourfold Assembly Day. Magha Puja memorializes the day when 1,250 monks from far away, without any planning and at the same time, arrived at the temple where Buddha was staying in order to honor him.
- Dharma Day or Dhamma Day. Dharma Day honors that important moment - the teaching of the Dharma and the beginning of the first Buddhist Sangha. In celebration, Buddhists will listen to lectures on the Dharma, visit their monasteries to make offerings and pray.
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Buddhists visit the monasteries, and take part in street processions and entertainment. Buddhists celebrate many holidays, most of which honor important events in the life of the Buddha or various Bodhisattvas. Learn about the different Buddhist holidays and how it is celebrated. Wesak, Ullambana, New Year, Dharma Day, Guan Yin Celebration ...
Discover Level 3, Deck 2: Bodhi Day: The day of Shakyamuni’s enlightenment is celebrated by millions of Buddhists around the world. Dharma Day: The holiday of Asalha Puja celebrates the Buddha’s first teaching in Sarnath. Kathina: The festival of Kathina occurs at the end of the three-month-long rainy season retreat in Theravada countries.
Magha Puja: Magha Pujwronga is an important religious festival celebrated by Buddhists in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Laos on the full moon day of the third lunar month (this usually falls in February or March) Buddha Jayanti: In South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and China, it is celebrated in April 8 in Lunar calendar.
Ulambana is also a Japanese Buddhist festival known as Obon, beginning on the thirteenth of July and lasting for three days, which celebrates the reunion of family ancestors with the living. Avalokitesvara’s (Kuan Yin) Birthday. This is a festival which celebrates the Bodhisattva ideal represented by Avalokitesvara.
