Birthday of the Buddha

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, whose birthday is celebrated by Mahayana Buddhists on April 8

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 Westernization of their calendar, replacing lunar with solar dates. Buddha's Birthday (Cantonese: fātdáahn), the birthday of the Gautama Buddha, is traditionally celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese calendar. It is a holiday in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea. The date varies from year to year in the Western (Gregorian) calendar.

On Buddha's birthday, statues of Buddha are washed with a special sweet tea, often made from hydrangeas (following the tradition that Shakyamuni, the Buddha, was washed with warm and cool waters at birth), and offerings of flowers are made ...

Categories: buddhism, calendar-customs, religion