Buddhists eagerly attend the Buddha's Birthday celebration.

(Baonghean.vn) -From May 18th, the Great Buddha's Birthday Celebration (Buddhist calendar 2557, Gregorian calendar 2013) was held with great fanfare, featuring numerous ceremonial and festive activities. Amidst this atmosphere, Buddhists from all over the province and beyond flocked to temples to attend the ceremony, filled with reverence for the Buddha and a desire for peace of mind and virtuous conduct.

Grand Celebration

For a long time, Buddha's Birthday has been considered one of the most important festivals of Vietnamese Buddhism in particular and international Buddhism in general. The grand celebration of the Buddha's birth usually takes place from April 8th to April 15th (Lunar Calendar) every year with many Buddhist rituals and lively festival activities. In Nghe An this year, many activities have been prepared and organized simultaneously at temples throughout the districts and cities of the province.

This year's Buddha's Birthday celebration coincided with the 123rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, so the Buddhist Association of Nghe An province chose Dai Tue Pagoda in Nam Dan district – his hometown – as the center for the opening ceremony of the provincial Buddhist celebration. On May 18th, at Dai Tue Pagoda, the opening ceremony of the celebration took place solemnly and respectfully with rituals such as offering to the Buddha with three rounds of the Bat Nha drum and bell procession, incense offering, flower offering to the Buddha, chanting, and releasing doves.

The ritual of bathing the Buddha statue was also performed by representatives of the Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial Buddhist Association in a solemn and respectful atmosphere. Venerable Nun Thich Nu Dieu Nhan, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Buddhist Association, delivered the Buddha's Birthday Celebration Address for the year 2557 of the Buddhist calendar, emphasizing the joy of the Venerable monks, nuns, and Buddhists from all directions in welcoming Buddha's Birthday and praying for peace and fulfillment for everyone, in accordance with the spirit of the Vietnam Buddhist Association: "Buddhism, Nation, Socialism."

At many other temples throughout the province, the Buddha's Birthday celebration was also held with various activities. At Chi Linh Temple (Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district), the opening ceremony of the Buddha's Birthday celebration took place on May 19th with solemn rituals, notably the ceremony of taking refuge in the Three Jewels and a talk on Buddhist teachings by the monks to the attending Buddhists. At Phuc Khanh Temple (Hung Nguyen district), before the Buddha's Birthday celebration, Venerable Thich Dinh Tue (the temple's abbot) opened one-day meditation classes for Buddhists from all directions to participate in chanting scriptures, reciting Buddha's name, and spending a day in the temple to experience spiritual practice and devotion to the Buddha; more than 500 Buddhists participated in this course.

Buddhists perform the ritual of bathing the Buddha statue during the Buddha's Birthday celebration at Dai Tue Pagoda.

At Tu Pagoda (Nghi Phong commune, Nghi Loc district), the Buddha's Birthday celebration included rituals such as processions of Buddha statues, bathing of Buddha statues, and cultural performances, including singing and dancing praising the Buddha. At Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau district), in addition to traditional rituals, monks and Buddhists participating in the Buddha's Birthday celebration meditated and recited prayers for national peace and prosperity, health for everyone, and happiness for all families. At Can Linh Pagoda, one of the largest pagodas in Vinh City, although the main ceremony of the Buddha's Birthday celebration is not held until May 23rd (May 14th in the lunar calendar), the abbess, Venerable Thich Nu Dieu Nhan, said that this year, in addition to the ceremonial activities, Can Linh Pagoda will have many programs such as cultural performances and the construction of a giant lotus throne to celebrate Buddha's Birthday…

"Attending Buddha's Birthday brings peace of mind..."

This was the sentiment shared by Buddhist follower Nguyen Thi Hong, who attended this year's Buddha's Birthday celebration at Dai Tue Pagoda. Although she lives in Anh Son district, Ms. Hong traveled to Nam Dan a day before the celebration to be present at Dai Tue Pagoda on the morning of May 18th. “Even though I live far away, I attend the Buddha's Birthday celebration at Dai Tue Pagoda every year. Not only do I show my respect to the Buddha, but attending these celebrations makes me feel like my spirit is cleansed, my mind is at peace – something not easily found in today's life.” Sharing the same sentiment as Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong were thousands of Buddhist followers from all over the province who attended the Buddha's Birthday celebration at Dai Tue Pagoda. Despite taking place early in the morning on the opening day of the celebration, Dai Tue Pagoda welcomed thousands of visitors and Buddhist followers from all over. Among them were many elderly people and young children who eagerly participated, despite the scorching sun and the treacherous terrain, having to traverse nearly 10km of steep mountain road to reach the temple.

At Chi Linh Pagoda (Yen Thanh District), hundreds of Buddhists participated in a Dharma lecture and conversed with Venerable Thich Tanh Tha about matters related to Buddhism and lay practitioners. Buddhist follower Vu Thi Nguyet (Dien Chau District) shared: “Attending the Buddha's Birthday celebration and listening to the Venerable's Dharma lecture has greatly broadened my understanding of Buddhism and taught me how to practice and worship Buddha at home, because the most important thing in Buddhism is spiritual faith and inner peace.”

At Can Linh Pagoda, with only a few days left until the main ceremony of the Buddha's Birthday, many Buddhists have come to contribute their merits and volunteer their time to clean and decorate the main stage for the ceremony. Many young Buddhists can be seen enthusiastically sweeping, hanging banners and flags in preparation for the cultural performance celebrating the Buddha's Birthday, which will take place on the evening of May 23rd.

Many of these young people are students who have taken advantage of the weekend to participate in public service activities for the temples. Most of them belong to the Nghe An Young Buddhist Propagation Club. Ngo Xuan Duy (18 years old), the club's leader, said: "Every year during major holidays like Buddha's Birthday, the club sends many young Buddhist followers to help temples prepare for the festival. Not only do we gain more experience, but young Buddhists like us also feel that we are contributing a small part to the activities of the temples." As for Tran Van Huy, who joined the club for the first time and participated in preparing for and attending the Buddha's Birthday celebration at various temples, he shared: "Participating in the preparations for the Buddha's Birthday celebration, I learned a lot about Buddhism. Participating in activities like cleaning, performing arts, and releasing doves, we felt like we were living in a Buddhist environment every day."

Text and photos: Thai Anh