Activities to celebrate Buddha’s birthday

The Da Nang Buddhist Sangha is holding various activities in the city from 6 – 13 May to celebrate the second time that Viet Nam has hosted the United Nations Day of Vesak (Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment and passing away).

The Commissioner of the Political Council of the Viet Nam Buddhist Association, and Deputy Chief cum Chief Secretary of the city’s Buddhist Sangha, the Most Venerable Thich Thong Dao, said that a number of major activities are being held in the city during Vesak week.

Seven giant artificial lotus flowers, which symbolise the 7 steps that Gautama Buddha took after he was born, are floating on the Han River between the Rong (Dragon) and Han River bridges. They will be lit every evening between 6 and 13 May.

Also, street parades of 30 flower-decorated vehicles will take place along the city’s major streets from 11 – 13 May.

An official ceremony featuring solemn Buddhist traditional rituals will be held at the Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra District’s Tho Quang Ward on the 13 May. In addition, various events are also being organised at this pagoda from from 6 – 11 May. They include a chanting ritual, a preaching session on the meaning of Vesak, a procession for the light of wisdom, and a musical performance to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday.

All of the city’s pagodas are decorating stages and hanging traditional Buddhist flags and banners to celebrate this special festival.

On the 14th day of 4th lunar month (11 May), the Da Nang Buddhist Sangha will visit and lay wreaths at the city’s 2 September Peace Monument to commemorate heroic martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.

This week, the city’s Buddhist monks, nuns and followers are actively involved in a number of charitable activities. In particular, they will visit and present gifts to poor patients at some of the city’s hospitals, and to those who are living in local care homes for the elderly and orphans. In addition, they will build houses for the city’s social policy beneficiaries, and do other charitable activities.