Back again for its fifteenth year,
Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival will be taking place in on May 15th – 16th, 2010 at Federation Square. Hosted by Fo Guang Shan Melbourne and the Buddha's Light International Association of Victoria, the event is a non-profit peaceful community celebration open to all ages and faiths.
It has been estimated that there are 500 million practising Buddhists worldwide and Buddhism is also the fastest growing religion in Australia so it is important to recognise religious events such as these. The festival brings together the Buddhism community in Melbourne and invites those to learn about the religion and participate in spiritual events.
The festival celebrates both Buddha's Day, which is the birthday of Prince Siddhartha Gautama (who was to become Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism) as well as diversity and multiculturalism in our wonderful city of Melbourne.
Buddha's birthday is one of the most important dates in the religion and it is recognised through an ancient ceremony known as
bathing the Buddha. Flowers adorn the altar to replicate Buddha's birthplace, the Garden of Lumbini, and monks and nuns bathe the statue in fragrant water as a symbol of inner purification and to cleanse sins. Witness this ritual at 10am on Sunday 16th May as part of the World Peace Blessing Ceremony. The ceremony will also include an incredible traditional mass with Buddhist chanting and involvement from the Aboriginal community.
Another highlight of the festival will be the third annual
Sacred Songs Multi-Faith Concert on Saturday 15th May at 6:30pm. Entry is by gold coin donation and it will be held in the Wisdom Hall at BMW Edge, Federation Square. This choral and instrumental concert will feature a dazzling array of musicians and performers from different cultures and faiths and is sure to be a wonderful evening.
If you thought being vegetarian was all about eating like a rabbit, think again.
Vegi-licious: The Karma of Being Vegetarian will have cooking demonstrations running all weekend from some of our city's best vegetarian chefs from a variety of cuisines. Although vegetarianism is not synonymous with Buddhism, many Buddhists choose to not eat meat out of respect and compassion for living creatures. When you see what's on this delicious program, it's sure to have even the most carnivorous of people drooling!
If this isn't enough, there are plenty of other events going on during the jam-packed weekend, including: the participative Bodhi Tree art installation, meditation and tai chi workshops, tea ceremonies, talks, and demonstrations of Chinese art. For a full listing of events, check out the official program
here.
Last year it was estimated that 85,000 visitors attended the festival and this year promises to be bigger than ever. You might even discover your path to spiritual enlightenment.
