|
|
|
Japanese Buddhists celebrate Buddha's birth in April
at the Hana Matsuri. Children wear flowers in their hair, as a celebration
of spring and to honour Buddha. They pour scented tea over images of
Buddha as a baby. This recalls his first bath, when the gods poured two
streams of water from the sky to wash him. Buddha
Jayanti, Wesak or Vesak is the triple blessed
festival. It takes place in May or June. It is a celebration of Buddha's
birth, enlightenment and death when he reached Nirvana, and is celebrated
all over the Buddhist world. During the day children send their friends
cards and greet their parents with flowers; homes are decorated with
lanterns and flowers; Temple visits are made and special ceremonies take
place. In some towns this involves processions of Monks carrying sacred
texts through the streets, as in Gangtok India. |