A Buddhist likes to celebrate as much as anyone else, and while there might not be a Buddha Claus, there are many traditions and celebrations worth noting. However, dates of holidays vary from country to country, and the different vehicles and traditions of Buddhism celebrate different festivals and holidays. For example, the Mahayana Buddhists honor different bodhisattvas throughout the year. However, because the holiday dates change depending on which country you are in and which calendar is being used (for instance, the Japanese do not use the lunar calendar, but use the Gregorian calendar), a listing of holidays is provided, but frequently not the time of year they might be celebrated.

The Buddhist Festival

A typical Buddhist festival day starts off with a visit to a local monastery. Food is very often brought as an offering for the monks, who in return might give a dharma talk. While at the monastery, visitors might affirm the Five Precepts, pray, and meditate.

The monasteries and various local Buddhist organizations will perform acts of generosity (dana) within the community, such as visiting and providing for those in need, adopting caged animals, donating blood, providing transportation, medical care, and so on. Laypeople will commit acts to accumulate merit, such as feeding the poor or helping the needy. In the evening a visit to a stupa often takes place, where practitioners make three walking circles around the stupa to signify respect for the Triple Gem: buddha, dharma, and sangha.

Sampling of Celebrated Days

This listing is by no means exhaustive. There are many days of celebration and festivities in a Buddhist calendar year, but here are some of the more important ones. The most important holiday of the year in Buddhism is Buddha Day. On Buddha Day, which usually falls on the first full moon in May (but as mentioned above changes from country to country), the birth, death, and enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha are celebrated. Buddha Day is also called Vesak, which is the Indian month Buddha Day falls on.

Buddhists have a Buddhist New Year celebration. However, it is not usually celebrated on the first day of January. Different traditions have a different time of year to celebrate the New Year, again depending on their calendar. For example, Theravada Buddhists will celebrate the New Year in April. People in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and parts of Indonesia will be having festivals and sometimes water fights (if you're in Thailand and you are a tourist, watch out! — you might be a special target for good, but wet, fun). Mahayana Buddhist countries tend to celebrate the New Year in January, and in Tibet in February.

Here are some other Buddhist celebrations: