Buddha Purnima 2023: Date And Rituals

Buddha Purnima is a festival celebrated with immense pleasure and joy all around the world. This year the festival will be observed on 5th May 2023, Friday. It is a day that is regarded as the day of birth of the prince Siddharth Gautama who later came to be known as Gautama Buddha. He is one of the most followed spiritual leaders in India, and after him, people have named and formed a religion which is now known as Buddhism. There are a lot of things that the principles of Buddha teach us in Buddhism. These are now considered or be the baseline and some of the important teachings that every individual must know in order to live a happy and purposeful life.

Another aspect of the Buddha Purnima significance of the festival is to celebrate the three divine interventions altogether. This includes the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. Apart from the joyous celebration, there are a lot of things that Buddha Purnima tends to be about. Moreover, the festival of Buddha Purnima tends to be just right around the corner. If you are also curious and want to dig deeper into the pool of knowledge and enlighten yourself, then continue reading the blog and know the significance, importance and ritual practices that are done on the day of the Buddha Purnima celebration. However, let us first have a look at the date and time of this festival. 

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Buddha Purnima – Date and Time

Buddha Purnima, also comes around to be called the Buddha Jayanti and Saga Dawa, is a festival that holds great importance and significance for the followers of Buddhism around the world. This year, in 2023, the festival of Buddha Purnima tends to fall on the same day as the occurrence of the first Lunar Eclipse of 2023. Thus, the buddha purnima 2023 date and time are as follows: 

• Date – 5 May 2023
• Tithi Start Time – 04:14 AM, 5 May 2023
• Tithi End Time – 03:33 AM, 6 May 2023

The celebration of this festival, along with all the rituals and practices, must be done within this time as it is considered to be highly auspicious. Moreover, the devotees will come together to celebrate the festival. One of the things that come around to be important in Buddhism includes a donation. Thus, individuals will donate things and will celebrate the festival together with great zeal and enthusiasm. It is now time to dig deep into the story of Gautam Buddha that lies behind the celebration of this festival and his coming to be called the father of Buddhism. 

The Story Of Gautam Buddha 

Gautama Buddha’s birth was known to come around as something not-so-normal, according to his mother, Maya. It is said that Maya got pregnant with Buddha while she had a dream in which she saw a white elephant. Another interesting fact is that Maya gave birth to Buddha while standing in a garden holding a tree for support. After the birth of Buddha, his parents presented him to an astrologer. The astrologer told Buddha’s parents that the child is born to do the greater good for society. He also told them that the child would either become a great king or would turn out or be a great religious teacher. 

After hearing this, Buddha’s father panicked. He did not want his son to give up his rightful throne and take up a life of renunciation. Thus, his father opted for a solution which, according to him, would prevent Buddha from becoming a religious teacher. He sought to keep Buddha in the palace itself and also kept him away from all the realities and hardships that life has to offer. However, Buddha, at the age of 29, had only 4 chariot visits outside his palace.

During these visits, Buddha saw an old man, a sick person and a dead body. On his last visit, he saw a religious teacher. Seeing the teacher inspired Buddha, and he also decided to take a similar path. After this, Buddha knew that his father would not allow him to do so. Thus, he secretly escaped the palace in order to live like a religious teacher and further attain enlightenment. 

Also Read: Ambubachi Mela 2023: Date And Rituals

Buddha Purnima – Rituals

Rituals are known to be guidelines that mark the correct way of celebrating a festival. In Buddhism, there is no great importance placed on the following rituals and traditions. However, on the other hand, there is a great deal of importance placed on following the principles and teachings of Gautama Buddha, which will come around to help an individual in living a simple and happy life. As we already know, Buddha Purnima celebrates the birth of Gautama Buddha, who later came to be known as the father of Buddhism. Let us have a look at some rituals that people do on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. These are as follows: 

• Wake up early and take a bath.
• Sprinkle some Gangajal on yourself and also in your house in order to invite positive vibes into an individual’s life. 
• Light candles and incense sticks in your house.
• Make a swastika on the entrance door of your house. Use haldi, roli and kumkum to make the Swastika.
• Decorate the idol of Lord Buddha using flowers and light incense sticks in front of the idol. 
• After this, an individual can chant the mantra of Gautam Buddha. 
• At night, people can also light lanterns in their houses. 

Common Practices On Buddha Purnima

Some other common practices that individuals can do on the occasion of Buddha Purnima are as follows: 

• Devotees and worshippers should visit a Buddhist shrine.
• They can also recite mantras and chant hymns and teachings in order to honour and spread knowledge of Gautama Buddha.
• One of the most prominent Buddha temples is in Gaya, which is known as Bodh Gaya. Thus, if possible, Buddha Purnima comes around to be the best day for individuals to visit the temple and offer prayers. 
• Many individuals also tend to observe a fast on this day.
• Donation is one of the most important teachings of Buddhism. Thus, individuals should donate as much as they can on the occasion of this festival.

Buddha Purnima Around The World

The festival of Buddha Purnima does not necessarily have a set of rituals. Still, there are some different things that people in different countries do on the occasion of this festival. Let us have a look at how different countries celebrate Buddha Purnima. These are as follows: 

• China tends to celebrate the festival by lighting incense sticks and candles. Moreover, people also tend to visit the shrines and holy places on this day. 
• Japan celebrates the festival with the use of flowers, ‘ Hanamatsuri’. People decorate the statue of Buddha with flowers and bathe it in flower juice.
• Devotees in Thailand celebrate the festival by gathering together in temples and shrines and then chanting prayers and mantras. 
• Lastly, in South Korea, people tend to express their joy and happiness by providing free food on this day. The intentions behind this are to encourage the teachings of Gautama Buddha and to help the needy. 

Buddha Purnima – Do’s And Don’ts 

As we have already seen the rituals of Buddha Purnima, let us now have a look at the dos and don’ts of this festival. These are as follows: 

Do’s

• Visit a Buddhist shrine or temple.
• Chant Buddhist prayers and Buddha mantra
• Try yoga and meditation.
• Wear white coloured clothes
• Make sweet dishes and donate them to the needy.

Don’ts

• Do not eat meat on this day
• Do not indulge yourself in violent activities
• Avoid the consumption of alcohol 
• Try not to disturb anyone 
• Avoid tamasic food like onion, garlic, and vinegar.
• Try not to consume wheat, rice or lentils. 

Conclusion

There you have it, folks! This is all you need to know about Buddha Purnima. If you want to celebrate the festival, one of the things that you should know includes Buddha Purnima meaning, which is related to the birth, death and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha. The celebration of this festival tends to differ from region to region. However, there is one thing common in the celebration, and that is people and followers who celebrate this festival have a common aim, and that is to spread the word about Buddha’s teachings. Some of the major things of focus include donation, exemption from violence, promoting peace and harmony within oneself, and also helping the needy. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Also Read: Bheemana Amavasya Vrata 2023

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