Buddhist Celebrations

Buddhism, a religion or a way of life that is based on the teachings and preaching’s of Lord Gautama Buddha is an important part of the Indian culture as well as outside India or to aptly state the Asian countries. Buddhism is an important religion in many countries and now is being widely practiced and adopted by people of other ethnicity too. Like every religion, Buddhism too has couple of festivals that are celebrated with great fervor amongst the followers of Buddhism. These festivals may not be widely known to every person but if you delve a little further you will know the different festivals in Buddhism and the way they are celebrated

Few important festivals in Buddhism are:-


Buddhist New Year: The beginning of a new period, hope and age are the few things we welcome with every New Year. Buddhist New Year is celebrated with great pomp and show in all the countries where they majorly practice Buddhism and in India too. The Buddhist New Year depends on the country, ethnicity or the background of the people of the country and hence it differs from place to place.

Buddha Day: Lord Buddha’s birthday is known as Buddha Day or Vesak is a major festival in Buddhism. It takes place on the first full moon of May and during a leap year in June.

Asalha Puja Day: Celebrated around July, this pays homage to Lord Buddha’s first lesson and the turning of the wheel of Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta or Dhamma.

Magha Puja Day: The Sangha Day or the four-fold assembly day is an important event in the life of Lord Buddha and is celebrated during the month of March. It marks of the four important aspects of a day in Buddha’s life.

Besides the ones mentioned above, Uposatha, Kathina Ceremony, Abhidhamma day, Songkran, Loy Krathong and The Ploughing festival are important festivals in Buddhism. All festivities are celebrated with equal fervour in different parts of the world and you can witness a slight difference possibly in the way of celebrating the festival in different countries.

If you have a penchant for exploring new cultures and their traditions then a sneak peak at the Buddhist culture and festivities is definitely suggested. Enjoy a quiet time enjoying the festivals of Buddhism with your loved ones!