Buddhist Calendar questions

[Rosie_0801]

My dear Buddhist Board Buddies,
I can see this part of my religious calendar curriculum doing my head in. When do you guys who don't come from Buddhist families mark the days that vary between countries or cultures? I assume the temples you attend are linked to one country/culture or another and there isn't the Generic American Buddhist Temple or something? Some of these (copied from: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/holidays.html) look very location specific so I'm not sure if they belong on my list, Pavarana day, for example? I shall be most grateful for any guidance!

 

Buddhist New Year

In Theravadin countries, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos, the new year is celebrated for three days from the first full moon day in April. In Mahayana countries the new year starts on the first full moon day in January. However, the Buddhist New Year depends on the country of origin or ethnic background of the people. As for example, Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese celebrate late January or early February according to the lunar calendar, whilst the Tibetans usually celebrate about one month later. 

Vesak or Visakah Puja ("Buddha Day")

Traditionally, Buddha's Birthday is known as Vesak or Visakah Puja (Buddha's Birthday Celebrations). Vesak is the major Buddhist festival of the year as it celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha on the one day, the first full moon day in May, except in a leap year when the festival is held in June. This celebration is called Vesak being the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

Magha Puja Day (Fourfold Assembly or "Sangha Day")

Magha Puja Day takes places on the full moon day of the third lunar month (March). This holy day is observed to commemorate an important event in the life of the Buddha. This event occurred early in the Buddha's teaching life. 

After the first Rains Retreat (Vassa) at the Deer Park at Sarnath, the Buddha went to Rajagaha city where 1250 Arahats,(Enlightened saints) who were the Buddha's disciples, without prior appointment, returned from their wanderings to pay respect to the Buddha. They assembled in the Veruvana Monastery with the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Moggalana.

The assembly is called the Fourfold Assembly because it consisted of four factors: (1) All 1250 were Arahats; (2) All of them were ordained by the Buddha himself; (3) They assembled by themselves  without any prior call; (4) It was the full moon day of Magha month (March).
  
Asalha Puja Day ("Dhamma Day")

Asalha Puja means to pay homage to the Buddha on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month (approximately July). It commemorates the Buddha's first teaching: the turning of the wheel of the Dhamma (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) to the five ascetics at the Deer Park (Sarnath) near Benares city, India. Where Kondanna, the senior ascetic attained the first level of enlightenment (the Sotapanna level of mind purity).
    
Uposatha (Observance Day)

The four monthly holy days which continue to be observed in Theravada countries - the new moon, full moon, and quarter moon days. Known in Sri Lanka as Poya Day. [ Web Link: Uposatha or Observance Days ]

Pavarana Day

This day marks the conclusion of the Rains retreat (vassa). In the following month, the kathina ceremony is held, during which the laity gather to make formal offerings of robe cloth and other requisites to the Sangha.

Kathina Ceremony (Robe offering ceremony)

Is held on any convenient date within one month of the conclusion of the Vassa Retreat, which is the three month rains retreat season (Vassa) for the monastic order. It is the time of the year when new robes and other requisites may be offered by the laity to the monks.

Anapanasati Day

At the end of one rains retreat (vassa), the Buddha was so pleased with the progress of the assembled monks that he encouraged them to extend their retreat for yet another month. On the full-moon day marking the end of that fourth month of retreat, he presented his now-famous instructions on mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati), which may be found in the Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118) - The Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing.

Abhidhamma Day

In the Burmese tradition, this day celebrates the occasion when the Buddha is said to have gone to the Tushita Heaven to teach his mother the Abhidhamma. It is held on the full moon of the seventh month of the Burmese lunar year starting in April which corresponds to the full moon day in October. 
Songkran

This Thai Buddhist festival goes on for several days during the middle of April. People clean their houses and wash their clothes and enjoy sprinkling perfumed water on the monks, novices and other  people for at least two or three days. They gather around the riverbank, carrying fishes in jars to put into the water, for April is so hot in Thailand that the ponds dry out and the fish would die if not rescued. People go to the beach or river bank with jars or buckets of water and splash each other. When everyone is happily wet they are usually entertained by boat races on the river.

Loy Krathong (Festival of Floating Bowls)

At the end of the Kathin Festival season, when the rivers and canals are full of water, the Loy Krathong Festival takes place in all parts of Thailand on the full moon night of the Twelfth Lunar month. People bring bowls made of leaves (which contain flowers) candles and incense sticks, and float them in the water. As they go, all bad luck is suppose to disappear. The traditional practice of Loy Krathong was meant to pay homage to the holy footprint of the Buddha on the beach of the Namada River in India.

The Ploughing Festival

In May, when the moon is half-full, two white oxen pull a gold painted plough, followed by four girls dressed in white who scatter rice seeds from gold and silver baskets. This is to celebrate the Buddha's first moment of enlightenment, which is said to have happened when the Buddha was seven years old, when he had gone with his father to watched the ploughing.  (Known in Thailand as Raek Na)

The Elephant Festival

The Buddha used the example of a wild elephant which, when it is caught, is harnessed to a tame one to train. In the same way, he said, a person new to Buddhism should have a special friendship of an older Buddhist. To mark this saying, Thais hold an elephant festival on the third Saturday in November.
  
The Festival of the Tooth

Kandy is a beautiful city in Sri Lanka. On a small hill is a great temple which was especially built to house a relic of the Buddha - his tooth. The tooth can never be seen, as it is kept deep inside may caskets. But once a year in August, on the night of the full moon, there is a special procession for it.

***

Ulambana (Ancestor Day)

Is celebrated throughout the Mahayana tradition from the first to the fifteenth days of the eighth lunar month. It is believed that the gates of Hell are opened on the first day and the ghosts may visit the world for fifteen days. Food offerings are made during this time to relieve the sufferings of these ghosts. On the fifteenth day, Ulambana or Ancestor Day, people visit cemeteries to make offerings to the departed ancestors. Many Theravadins from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also observe this festival.

Ulambana is also a Japanese Buddhist festival known as Obon, beginning on the thirteenth of July and lasting for three days, which celebrates the reunion of family ancestors with the living.

Avalokitesvara’s Birthday (Kuan Yin)

This is a festival which celebrates the Bodhisattva ideal represented by Avalokitesvara. Who represents the perfection of compassion in the Mahayana traditions of Tibet and China. It occurs on the full moon day in March.

Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day)

Bodhi Day honours the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama -- the Buddha. Buddhists observe the importance of this event by celebrating Bodhi Day usually on the eighth of December. The day is observed in many ways, including prayer, meditation and teachings.

Thanks to BuddhaNet.net

 

[Arcadia]

 

When do you guys who don't come from Buddhist families mark the days that vary between countries or cultures? I assume the temples you attend are linked to one country/culture or another and there isn't the Generic American Buddhist Temple or something?

 

 

I come from Singapore and for me Buddhism is a philosophy rather than a religion.  Below are what my extended family celebrate.

Vesak  ("Buddha Day")  - it is a national holiday in Singapore and Malaysia

Loy Krathong (Festival of Floating Bowls) - we just join in the fun even though it is a traditional thai festival

Ulambana (Ancestor Day) - it is our Chinese culture's hungry ghost month (ETA: the hungry ghost month is the 7th lunar month.  the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the Mooncake festival.  We also have an ancestor day "Qing Ming" which usually falls in April but has nothing to do with buddhism)

Avalokitesvara’s Birthday (Kuan Yin) - my parents were Taoist and it is celebrated by Taoist as well. 

Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day) - its celebrated at temples

[Rosie_0801]

:lurk5:

[Desert Strawberry]

As much as I wish there was some kind of United American Church of Buddha, alas, there is not.

Buddha intended for the teachings to be adopted into native cultures. As such there are no uniform Buddhist holidays. Each sangha is tied to both the school of Buddhism and the native culture from which it comes( separate but deeply intertwined). 

We do not attend a sangha regularly. There are a few nearby, but none of our school. Each has it's own celebrations. The Lao temple has Lothar at Easter time. The Tibetan sangha has frequent gatherings and celebrations. When we lived in Japan, each city had it's own major festival. We attended those we could -- friendship day, Bon Odori (traditional dance) , Fertility, etc. There are also frequent smaller celebrations. As far as I know, none of the festivals were particularly Buddhist.

Personally, our family follows the standard western calendar, and we celebrate regular American holidays, minus the religious aspects. We will be trick or treating on Thursday, eating thanksgiving dinner, and decorating a Christmas tree. 

 

Eta: I forgot to mention Golden Week-Obon. IMO this is very much a Shinto holiday, and not Buddhist at all. It is a time when families gather together, both living and dead. As our families were not there, we did not participate.

 

 

[Rosie_0801]

*hides under a blanket and sobs*

 

 

:lol:

[Desert Strawberry]

First, deep breaths. 

I read your other thread. It's a really good idea. But it sounds a bit overwhelming, trying to pin down a comprehensive calendar for a multitude of religions, many of which do not have one.

 

My advice is to choose a few Buddhist countries, and find the major celebration for each. Put up a big world map or a globe and "travel" around the world from one festivity to another.

 

[Rosie_0801]

So there is nothing that *all* Buddhists celebrate?


Maybe I'll leave you guys out.  :glare:

 

:001_tt2:

[Arcadia]

So there is nothing that *all* Buddhists celebrate?

Vesak Day

http://www.un.org/en/events/vesakday/

[Desert Strawberry]

New year? That's pretty universal, though not everyone places it at the same time. It ranges from mid January to April, I think. 

[Rosie_0801]

Argh! Why didn't you guys tell me there were two main branches of Buddhism? I think I may be able to fit this into my brain after all! Chocolate is helping. Mmm. Chocolate.

[Rosie_0801]

This is what I've wound up with:

 

 

April/May- Buddha's birthday- Most Mahayana Buddhists celebrate on this day

 

May/June- Vesak (Buddha's birthday- has different names in different languages) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak Can say "most Theravada Buddhists celebrate this on such and such a day."

 

July- Asalha Puja aka Dharma day- an important Theravada festival

 

Uposatha is rather like a Sabbath. Some countries observe on the new moon, full moon and half moons. Most only the new and full moons. People being people, some times of year are more widely observed than others.

 

December- Bodhi Day- predominantly a Mahayana celebration

[Desert Strawberry]

Rather than looking for more universal or common holidays(which you are finding are few if any), you might want to choose based on other criteria. Many festivities are highly visual. This imagery is critical to Buddhism.perhaps look at images and read the back story for each. Choose those which you find most striking.

We really don't have unifying holidays, or a shared culture. IMO, our diversity is a virtue. Ma y disparate cultures were able to adopt and incorporate Buddha's teachings without sacrificing their unique cultures. The ONLY characteristics that unify Buddhists are a belief in the teachings and membership in the body of humanity-along with all others. 

If you teach your children that all Buddhists do this, or all of these Buddhists celebrate that, I am afraid that would be misleading and do a disservice to the broad, inclusive nature of our faith.

 

[Rosie_0801]

If you teach your children that all Buddhists do this, or all of these Buddhists celebrate that, I am afraid that would be misleading and do a disservice to the broad, inclusive nature of our faith.

 

I'm not sure how I've given the impression I was going to do that. That said, there are certain compromises I need to make to include Buddhism in this project. If you feel what I posted above is so unrepresentative as to be insulting and you'd rather I left your faith out of this project altogether, do say so.