BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Buddhism Today is 'Buddha Day' in Japan

Vesak or 'Buddha Day' (it also has several other names, depending on the country) is celebrated throughout the Spring in various Buddhist traditions, and in 2014 the first one is in Japan, on today, April 8th, so I decided to feature it in this week's article:

Vesak or Budda Day - Celebrating the Buddha

Happy Buddha Day (or the first one anyway!)

FYI - Saga Dawa is the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of this and falls on June 13th this year.

Happy Buddha Day!!!!!

Vesak in most Theravada Buddhist traditions is coming up soon and will be celebrated on either May 13th or 14th depending on the country. This is a biggest Buddhist holiday of the year in some countries, and many people begin their preparations now, 2 weeks before, including cleaning, atoning, preparing offerings, etc.

Many countries are celebrating Vesak today and tomorrow with the full moon. The Tibetan celebration, Saga Dawa, falls a month later this year, but many other places celebrate the Buddha's life today. Here's some great pics of celebrations around the world:

Vesak, Buddha Day, Around the World