Buddha Jayanti Festival, India
The birth of Gautama Buddha is celebrated on Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima. Every Buddhist and Hindu tradition celebrates this day differently, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka (where Vensak is celebrated). Every full moon day is auspicious for Buddhists, but the full moon in the May holds the greatest importance because the life of the Buddha was marked by three major events in this month. Prince Siddhattha, the Buddha-to-be, was born in Lumbini Grove on the full moon day in May. Second, he became Gautama Buddha in May on the full moon day of Bodh Gaya after six years meditation under the shade of the Bodhi tree. On the full moon day of May, after the age of eighty, and after teaching the Truth for 45 years, he became Nibbana at the beginning of the twelfth century, the cessation of all desire.
Dharma (duty), non-violence, harmony, and kindness were the tenets of Gautama Buddha's teaching. During his period of teaching, Buddha taught his disciples the importance of meditation and following the kindness and mindfulness in daily life. As a prince at 30 years of age, Buddha abandoned his material possessions, his wife and the son Rahul and achieved freedom from suffering (dukkha). This day is celebrated worldwide by Buddhists and believers of Buddhism offering religious services, meditation, observing fasts, and discussing the teachings of the Buddha.