Buddhism Expanded Observance: Visakha Festival
The Visakha celebration is the Buddhist holiday that honors the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha into complete Nirvana. It is noted in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism that these three events occurred on the same day of the full moon (birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha) of the sixth lunar month. The Gautama Buddha was born 2564 years ago, became enlightened at age 35 and passed away at age 80. The Theravada tradition of Buddhism is the oldest and therefore practitioners will celebrate these events every year following the lunar calendar. There are temple celebrations of chanting, meditation, alms giving, retreats and Dharma talks along with cultural performances and gatherings for the whole community. The Asian countries that follow the Theravada tradition are Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka. Since Buddhism has spread all over the world and there are now temples in so many countries, the followers of Theravada Buddhism honor this holiday with the same rituals.
Buddhist councils all over the world have international Visakha festivals. There is a one to three day celebration representing all the traditions of Buddhism. Within the Mahayana tradition there is the ritual practice of pouring sweet tea over the small statue of the baby Buddha placed within a four sided covered gazebo-like structure (Hanamido) decorated with flowers. This represents Lumbini Garden where the Buddha was born in northern India near Nepal. Incense and flowers offerings by practitioners as well as the lighting of candles are done throughout the celebrations. Vegetarian refreshments are prepared and offered to the monks and teachers initially and then to the Sangha or community. Donations are given also to the poor and infirmed to help alleviate their suffering.
This Buddhist holiday is celebrated on April 8th by Mahayana Buddhism in China, Macau, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. It is also known by various names depending on the country. Hanamatsuri, Wesak Day, Buddha Day, Vesak, Phat Dan, Saga Dawa, Visakha Puja, Fo Dan, Buddha Punima, and Visakha Bucha are some of the official names of this auspicious day.
