Buddhist New Year

obz900

I have been reading up on Buddhist holidays, mainly in the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka and Thailand. I have noticed differing dates for the "Buddhist New Year". Some articles say it falls on the 25th of April this year, on the first day of the full moon. I have also read that it falls on the 13 of the month, and is called the Sinhalese New Year in Sri Lanka. What is the correct date for this celebration, and how exactly do the people of these nations celebrate?

vinlyn

In Thailand, Songkran, is a mix of wild behavior -- dumping water on people (which I hated) and serious Buddhist behavior. The water part has gotten so bad that this year they have passed a law prohibiting the dumping of water on people from pickup trucks. It started out as a cool thing to do -- literally and figuratively. It's during the hot season, so sprinkling people with water was seen as polite and fun, but over the years simply got out of hand. Couple this with an exorbitant highway death toll due to drinking and driving, and there are a lot of negatives.

On the other hand, it's also a time to make pilgrimages to one of several particularly historic temples that are upcountry, or to the family village and its temple. I had the opportunity one year to spend most of a day at Wat Phra Phutthabat (where there is supposedly a Buddha footprint) in Saraburi province. Very special. A parade, which included a Buddha statue; sprinkling of Buddha statues with water (and I do mean sprinkling, not dousing); visiting the main shrine where people walk around the shrine 3 times while taking refuge; offering of lotus flowers, candles, and incense; exploring many of the temple buildings; being blessed by monks; etc. I'm sure I wasn't the only "farang" there that day, but it seemed like it, and everyone was so very friendly and welcoming. One of my most memorable days in Thailand.

Patr

Link to Wesak day... short explanation inside.

http://publicholidays.com.my/wesak-day/#_