Happy birthday, Buddha: why the founder of Buddhism has various forms of celebrations around Asia
- Means of observance - and even the day - differ depending on a person’s school of Buddhism or country
- From the Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul to a bathing ceremony in China, there are several ways to mark the occasion
The Hong Kong Tourism Board held a drone show as part of the celebrations for Buddha’s birthday. Photo: Edmond SoThe birthday of the historical Buddha celebrates the birth of the child who became Prince Siddhartha around the end of the 4th century BC. This is a holy occasion for all Buddhists, but is celebrated on different dates depending on the school of Buddhism or country to which one belongs. In several Asian countries, it is observed on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunisolar calendar, which this year falls on May 15. In several South and Southeast Asian countries, it is celebrated on the first full moon of May, which falls on May 23.
Buddha’s birth and life
Siddhartha was born in Lumbini, which is at the border of what is India and Nepal today. His mother, Maya, was the wife of Suddhodana, king of the Shakya clan.
According to Buddhist lore, when she conceived, the queen dreamed that an auspicious white elephant entered her womb. A number of texts recount the child’s miraculous birth, detailing how the baby was received by the gods Indra and Brahma, and took seven steps soon after he was born. He is then believed to have received a cleansing bath from the gods, or dragon kings, depending on the country or culture where the legend originated.
Suddhodana sheltered his son from pain and suffering, believing that keeping him isolated would put him on the path to becoming king. However, he could not protect Siddhartha for long, and the prince began to reflect after witnessing sickness, old age and death. Disillusioned by the impermanence of life, Siddhartha engaged in six years of ascetic practice and attained enlightenment at the age of 35 in Bodh Gaya in northeast India. He then became known as the Buddha, which means “the awakened one.”
Learn more about how different countries celebrate Buddha’s Birthday
Why and how is Buddha’s Birthday celebrated?
Buddhists around the world use this time to not only celebrate, but also reflect on Buddha’s teachings and what it means to practice the faith. In many parts of Asia, the sacred day marks not just the birth, but also the enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. In most Asian cultures and the diaspora, Buddhists go to their local temples and participate in chanting, meditation and festivities all day. Families decorate their homes with lanterns and gather for feasts.
South Korea
Buddha’s Birthday is a national holiday in South Korea. The highlight of the celebration in Seoul is the Lotus Lantern Festival, a parade of thousands of colourful, lighted paper lanterns often shaped like lotus flowers that are hung in temples and streets.
China
The faithful perform a bathing ceremony that involves pouring scented blessed water over a statue of the infant Buddha whose right forefinger is pointed upwards toward the sky and left forefinger is pointing down to the Earth. According to legend, the Buddha announced shortly after being born that he would have no more rebirths, and the dragons of heaven baptised him with pure water.
South and Southeast Asia
Countries in South and Southeast Asia celebrate Buddha’s Birthday on the full moon of the second lunar month. The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya is decorated on this day and devotees perform special prayers under the bodhi tree under which the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. In India and Nepal, sweet rice porridge is served on this day to recall the story of Sujata, a maiden who offered the Buddha a bowl of milk porridge.