Coming Events

2011

11/12/2011 - Amitabha Buddha Day

2012

08/01/2012 - Sakyamuni Buddha Enlightenment Day

15/01/2012 - Thien Hoa Ancestor Remembrance Day

22/01/2012 - Vietnamese New Year Eve

23/01/2012 - Vietnamese New Year Celebration

29/01/2012 - Pilgrimage to local temples - day trip

05/02/2012 - The First Full Moon Celebration

11/03/2012 - Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Ceremony

29/04/2012 - Vesak Celebration

05/08/2012 - Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Ceremony

02/09/2012 - Ullambana Celebration

05/09/2012-15/09/2012 - Pilgrimage in Vietnam

28/10/2012 - Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Ceremony

Archived news

Photos

July 2011 - Olive harvest. Click here to view photos.

11/06-12/06/2011 - Eight Precepts retreat. Click here to view photos.

15/05/2011 - Vesak Celebration. Click here to view photos.

27/02/2011 - Eight Precepts Retreat. Click here to view photos.

Archived photos

Traditional celebrations

Buddhist holy-days that are celebrated at Upeksa are the following. The dates are calculated according to the lunar calendar and often fall on the full moon.

Luna Calendar	Celebration
1/1	New Year's day. Commemoration of Maitreya Buddha
19/2, 19/6, 19/9	Commemoration of Quan Yin Boddhisattva
8/4	Sakyamuni Buddha's birthday
15/7	The second full moon day of the year is Ullambana Day. View pictures of Ullambana 2006 at Upeksa Village.
15/8	Full moon Festival is Children's Day. View pictures of Children's Day 2006.
15/12	Buddha's Enlightenment.

Traditionally, people attend temples to do incense offerings or fruit offerings and chant on these religious days.

Some even eat only vegetarian foods. It's always crowed at the temples on the New Year day and Ulambana day.

New Year's day is the biggest festival of the year. People wish for luck and make offerings. Small gifts are given as offerings and to invoke generosity and abundance.

On the Ullambana day, people gather at the temples to pray for their ancestors and make good deeds such as making donations, freeing animals, etc. Meanwhile, an important ceremony occurs: Robe offering to the sangha.

As you can see on the photos, it's quite joyful to participate in these events of the year.