Do you know why the statues we call Buddha sometimes show a skinny, stoic man and sometimes a chubby, smiling man? Richard Nakamura, SEND missionary and former Buddhist, continues our Intro to Buddhism series by describing a few Buddhist holidays and symbols, including the various depictions of Buddha.
Q. What are some Buddhist holidays and how are they celebrated?
Various countries celebrate Buddhist holidays in different ways, often dependent on their type of Buddhism. Here are a few:
Buddha’s Birthday — Many consider this celebration the most important festival in Buddhism. On the first full moon day in May, Buddhists all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha in a single day.
Buddhist New Year — In Theravada Buddhist 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 usually starts on the first full moon day in January. Tibetan Buddhists generally celebrate the New Year in February or March. (Find out how the unreached Buryat community in Russia celebrates the New Year.)
Ancestor Day — In Mahayana countries, it is believed that the ancestor spirits visit the world for 15 days starting on the first day of the eighth lunar month. Food offerings, and in some places, dances are made during this time. People visit cemeteries to leave offerings to the departed ancestors and often clean and care for the graves.
Q. What are those beautiful prayer flags all about? How do Buddhists use them?
Different Buddhist sects have different customs and traditions. In Japanese Mahayana Buddhism, we never used flags. In Tibetan Buddhism, prayer flags promote protection and blessings. The flags themselves are not thought to carry the prayers to gods; rather the wind blows the goodwill they represent all around. The different colors (blue, white, red, green and yellow) represent the Five Wisdoms, and also are associated with the five natural elements (sky, air, fire, water and earth). These flags are hung on a high place of the house, on poles, or even stretching from mountaintop to mountaintop.