CULTURE — Visak Bochea Day |
Informally celebrated by Buddhists all over the world, the day sometimes called “Buddha’s birthday” and known as Visak Bochea Day in Cambodia, is a cause for special observation in Asian countries where the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha are marked with a holiday on the full moon of Vesākha, the second month in the Buddhist calendar, which usually falls in April, May or June. This year it falls on 10 May.
Buddhists are called for a candlelit procession to the temple where hymns are sung in praise of the Buddha, his teachings and his disciples. Everyone is called on to avoid eating meat for the day, and thousands of birds and animals are released in a symbolic act of liberation for those who are imprisoned against their will. Visak Bochea Day is one of the occasions on which Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni grants a royal pardon to prisoners.
©Thalias Newsletter May 2017
|
Comments
Post a Comment