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This article deals with the East Asian holiday. See also Vesak.

Lotus Lantern Festival celebrating Buddha's Birthday, in South Korea

Buddha's Birthday (traditional Chinese: 佛誕; pinyin: fó dàn; Cantonese: fātdáahn), the birthday of the Gautama Buddha traditionally celebrated in East Asia on the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is an official holiday in Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. The date varies from year to year in the Western (Gregorian) calendar:

• 2003: May 8
• 2004: May 26
• 2005: May 15 (This is a Sunday, hence May 16 becomes a holiday in Hong Kong and Macau.)
• 2006: May 5
• 2007: May 24
• 2008: May 12
• 2009: May 2
• 2010: May 21
• 2011: May 10
• 2012: May 28
• 2013: May 17
• 2014: May 6
• 2015: May 25

The birth place of the Buddha is Lumbini in Nepal.

This is one of the major festivals in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated on the half moon day of the month. People engage in religious observances and decorate houses and streets with candles and specially made lanterns.

In Japan, Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on April 8, but is not a national holiday. It is also known as 'Flower Festival' since 1902(Japanese: Hana-matsuri or Kanbutsu-e). Japanese people traditionally drink ama-cha, a beverage prepared from a variety of hydrangea.

In Korea the birthday of Buddha is celebrated according to the Lunisolar calendar. This day is called 부처님 오신 날 (Bucheonim osin nal), meaning "the day when Buddha arrived" or Seokka Tanshin-il meaning "the day of Buddha's Birthday". Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of Buddha's birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.

Some places have a public holiday one week later, on the fifty-first day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, to coincide with the full moon. For instance, Visakha Puja in Thailand or Lễ Phật đản in Vietnam was such a holiday on May 12 in 2006. Singapore also celebrates Vesak Day on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. (For future dates, add 7 days to the above list.)

• Public holidays in Hong Kong
  • Bun Festival - a festival held on the same day in Hong Kong
• Public holidays in Macau
• Public holidays in South Korea
• Holidays in Taiwan
• Holidays of Japan
  • Hanami
• Holidays in Vietnam
• Public holidays in Thailand
• Vesak

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The Folkloric Study of Chopail (Buddha's Birthday), written by Prof. M.Y.Pyeon. Produced by Minsokwon in Seoul Korea 2002.