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Buddha's Birthday - Festival Web |
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 Buddha's Birthday is the birthday of the Gautama Buddha traditionally celebrated in East Asia on the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is an official holiday in Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. The date varies from year to year in the Western (Gregorian) calendar: 2003: May 8, 2004: May 26, 2005: May 15 (This is a Sunday, hence May 16 becomes a holiday in Hong Kong and Macau), 2006: May 5, 2007: May 24, 2008: May 12, 2009: May 2, 2010: May 21, 2011: May 10, 2012: May 28, 2013: May 17, 2014: May 6, 2015: May 25.
Nepal
The birth place of the Buddha is Lumbini in Nepal.
Sri Lanka
This is one of the major festivals in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the month. People engage in religious observances and decorate houses and streets with lights and specially made lanterns.
Japan
In Japan, Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on April 8, but is not a national holiday. It is also known as 'Flower Festival' (Japanese: Hana-matsuri or Kanbutsu-e). Children traditionally drink ama-cha, a beverage prepared from a variety of hydrangea.
Korea
In Korea the birthday of Buddha is celebrated according to the Lunisolar calendar. This day is called (Bucheonim osin nal), meaning "the day when Buddha arrived" or Seokka Tanshin-il meaning "the day of Buddha's Birthday". Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of Buddha's birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.
Other countries
Some places have a public holiday one week later, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, to coincide with the full moon. For instance, Visakha Puja in Thailand or Le Phat dan in Vietnam was such a holiday on May 31 in 2007. Singapore also celebrates Vesak Day on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. (For future dates, add 7 days to the above list.)
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Holidays
