Lifestylesandfestivals


 * __Lifestyles and Festivals__**

There are many festivals in the Dharmic religion buddhism, one of the main ones is **Dharma day** which marks the beggining of the Buddahs teachings. When translated, the word Dharma can mean truth, or the path of elightenment. Dharma day is the eighth lunar month in the traditional Indian calendar. Dharma day is usually celebrated by reading Buddhist scriptures and is a time for them to reflect the deep meaning of those texts.


 * Kathina**- is a festival which originated 2,500 years ago and is the biggest alms-giving ceremony of the Buddhist year. The ceremony occurs at the end of the monsoon season in October/November. This also marks the the time when monks who have remained in one place for 3 months are to move on. Offerings of cloth are given to the monks by the lay people when they are leaving.


 * Losar**- is the most important holiday in Tibet. It celebrates the Tibetan new year. The festival is in Feburary but the dates vary yearly depending on the Lunar calendar. The festival lasts up to one month between the 19th of October and the 16th of November. Losar is also a time which symbolizes purification and a new beginning. Houses and buildings are whitewashed and cleaned and people wear new clothes and special food is prepared. Religious cermeonys are held and rituals are performed to ward away evil spirits, there is lots of feasting and dancing to celebrate. Losar is also when the monks will finely decorate monastaries and give offerings.


 * Parinirvana**- marks the death of the Buddah. It is also known as Nirvana Day. They celebrate the death of the Buddah because thye believe that when he achieved enlightenment he gained freedom from from physical pain and suffering. The Buddah died when he was 80 years old and spent 40 years of his life teaching, he is said to have died during meditation and achieved nirvana, a release from the cycle of death and rebirth. Parinirvana is celebreated as a social event in monastaries, special food is prepared and passages from the Paranibbana Sutta telling of the Buddahs last days. The day is used to reflect and think about the future coming of ones own death.


 * Sangha Day**- also known as fourfold assembly or magha puja day. It is the second most important Bhuddist festival. This day or festival remembers when 1,250 enlightened monks came to listen to the Buddah preach at Veluvana Vhara. This is where The Buddah gave his first seremon and recited the rules and regulations of the monostaries orders. On this day Budhists celebrate the ldea of creating a spiritual community but that also of the spiritual community they are trying to create. the day is highly regarded and important in buddhism becase otherwise, all those in the community would not be able to look for inspiration and acheiving the spiritual life would become even harder. The festival is often celebrated with chanting, meditating and the lighting of oil lamps.