Buddha Purnima and Celebration

What Is Buddha Purnima, Why We Celebrate It?

The Spiritual day of Buddha Purnima is also known as the Buddha Jayanti. On the full moon day of Vaishakha, the Lord Gautam Buddha was born. Gautam Buddha was a spiritual person who brandished the negativity from the lives of his followers and steered their lives towards spirituality. Other than this, Buddha attained enlightenment on this day and that’s why Buddha Purnima is considered as the most auspicious day by the Buddhist and Hindus all over the world.  The Buddha Purnima is also known as the Vaishak Purnima and Vesak day.

Gautam Buddha was born as the prince of Kapilavastu and was named as Siddhartha by his parents. During his birth, it was predicted that whether he shall either become a great ruler or a great ascetic. After hearing this prediction, his parents confined him between the four walls of the palace. But, destiny is something we have no control over it and he was born to remove the sadness and sorrows from the mankind.

Once during his 29^th year, Siddhartha came out of the palace for the first time; away from his luxurious life, he was experiencing a real world. An old man full of vain and a dead body made him realize that life is full of sorrow and misery.  After this, Siddhartha devoted his full life seeking for the truth in deep meditation inside thick woods. After attaining the truth and spirituality, people start calling him with the most honored title “Gautama Buddha”

Buddha Celebrations

Bodh Gaya attracts a maximum number of pilgrims on this day. Every year people from the different countries come to India to experience the holy festival of Buddha Purnima. Some of the major events organized on this day are Bohidroom Mela, Sutrasraban, and Panchasheel.  Other than this, if you’re looking for peace and serenity, visiting Bodh Gaya on Buddha Purnima will sate all your desires.  Buddha Purnima is a major event for Buddhist and for the followers of Lord Buddha. In fact, the celebration often last for over three days to one week.

Bodh Gaya wears a festive look on the holy day of Buddha Purnima. Lakhs of people come to Bodh Gaya seeking for the spiritual blessings of Lord Gautama Buddha. It’s a once in a lifetime experience on seeing the statue of Lord Buddha is bathed in the holy water, worshipped, honored and celebrated in several ways.

Activities On This Day

Buddhist worships the statue of Lord Buddha with fruits, Incense and candles. Following the spiritual path of Lord Buddha, Buddhist undertake a lot of charity works on this day like distribution of money, food and sating the other survival needs for the needy.

Buddha Purnima Activities In Different Countries  

In Burma, Buddhist waters the Bodh trees and pays their obeisance to them, remembering the enlightenment attained by the Lord Buddha under this tree. In Sri Lanka, people decorate their houses with the oil lamps. They hang stars on the bamboo stick and display them.