Major Buddhist Feasts

Buddhist holidays are events full of kindness and joy. Annually Buddhists around the world celebrate many festivals and hold festivals, most of which are related to important events from the life of the Buddha or various bodhisattvas. Dates of holidays are established according to the lunar calendar and may not coincide in different countries and traditions. As a rule, on the festival day, laymen go to the local Buddhist temple to bring food and other items to the monks in the early morning and listen to instructions in morality. Daytime can be dedicated to helping the poor, walking around the temple or stupa as a sign of veneration of the Three Jewels, recitation of mantras and meditation. The most important Buddhist holidays are briefly described below.

Buddhist New Year

In different parts of the world this holiday falls on different dates. In the Theravada countries (Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos) New Year is celebrated on the full moon day of April and is celebrated for three days. In the tradition of Mahayana, the New Year usually begins on the first full moon of January, and most of the Tibetan Buddhists celebrate it in March. In the countries of South Asia this day it is common to pour water on each other.

Holidays in the Theravada Tradition - Vesak (Buddha's Day)

Some Buddhist festivals are of special significance and are held with great scope, for example, Vesak - Buddha's Day. On the full moon May Buddhists around the world celebrate the birthday, enlightenment and care of the Buddha (except for a leap year, when the holiday falls at the beginning of June). The word "Vesak" is used according to the name of the month according to the Indian calendar.

Magha puja (Sangha Day)

Magha puja is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month and may occur in February or March. This sacred day serves as a reminder of an important event from the life of the Buddha, which occurred in the early period of his activity as a teacher. After the first shutter in the rainy season, the Buddha went to the city of Rajagaha. Here, without prior agreement, after the wanderings, 1,250 arhats (enlightened disciples) returned to pay homage to the teacher. They gathered in the monastery of Veruvan, together with the two senior disciples of the Buddha - the venerable Sariputra and Moggalana.

Buddhist holidays in the tradition of Mahayana - Ulamban (Ancestors Day)

Followers of Mahayana celebrate this holiday from the beginning of the eighth lunar month on its fifteenth lunar day. It is believed that the gates of Hell open on the first day of this month and spirits can move to the human world for two weeks. Food offerings made during this period can alleviate the suffering of ghosts. On the fifteenth day, Ulambana, people visit cemeteries to make an offering to the deceased ancestors. Some Theravadins from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also celebrate this annual event. Japanese Buddhists have a similar holiday called Obon, begins July 13, lasts 3 days and is dedicated to the birth of the departed ancestors of the family in new bodies.

Birthday of Avalokiteshvara

This holiday is dedicated to the ideal of a bodhisattva embodied by Avalokiteshvara, who represents perfect compassion in the Mahayana traditions of Tibet and China. The holiday falls on the full moon of March.

Bodhi Day (Day of Enlightenment)

On this day, it is customary to honor the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, who became a Buddha. As a rule, Buddhists celebrate this important holiday on December 8, reciting mantras, sutras, meditating and listening to the teaching.

There are other Buddhist festivals, having different scales and their unique specifics. They can take place both annually, and have a more frequent periodicity.