*Ø* Blogmanac April 8 | Buddha's Birthday

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. [paraphrased]
The Buddha

Buddha's Birthday, for Mahayana Buddhists
Although Theravada Buddhists celebrate the birth of the Buddha at the fifth full moon of the year, usually in May, many Mahayana Buddhists (mostly in East Asia) celebrate today because of the Westernisation of their calendar, replacing lunar with solar dates ...


Hana Matsuri (Flower Festival; Buddha?s Birthday), Japan
On Buddha's birthday in Japan, Buddhist shrines and temples fill with joyful celebrants. Hana Matsuri or Doll's Festival is celebrated as a prayer for the well-being of the young girls. All families decorate their dolls with peach blossoms and rice crackers. People take turns pouring hydrangea tea over the head of the bronze statue of the infant Buddha. Originally it was a lunar holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month but now, like many Japanese festivals, set in the Gregorian calendar.

'Hana' means flowers in Japanese, and, 'matsuri? means festival and Buddha?s natal day conveniently coincides with the blooming of the cherry blossoms in Japan. The festival?s origins have been estimated to have most likely been during the late Kamakura era or the early Muromachi era. An itinerant priest (yamabushi) of Kumano and a sage (hijiri) of Kaga Hakusan mountain introduced the festival into the upper basin of the few tributaries of the Tenryuu river.
Processions take place in many places, with children dressed up in their finest kimonos, chanting their way to the temple alongside decorative floats.

A highlight of the festival is, the Oni no mai, or dance of the demon. An Oni appears as a demon, but actually is an embodiment of the god. In olden times it was believed that the deity would appear as a demon to make their wishes come true.

The climax of the festival is called Yubayashi. The dancers soak a bunch of Sakaki (holy branches) into boiling water in a huge iron pot, and splash the hot water over the others. People believe that if they are soaked with the hot water, they are assured of good health for the year.

This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.