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Birth of the Buddha
Wesak Day
Celebrate the traditional day of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana, also known as Wesak Day. This ceremony will be officiated by nuns from the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order of Taiwan. Come from 10:30 to noon for the celebration and the traditional bathing of the baby Buddha. This is a kid-friendly event, so please bring family, friends, and young 'uns. The temple will remain open until 4 p.m. for individuals who wish to perform the Bathing of the Baby Buddha in the afternoon.
Bathing the Baby Buddha
It is said that when the baby Siddharta Gautama was born, he walked seven steps and at each step, a lotus flower sprang up from the ground. Two dragons appeared in the sky spurting two streams of purified water down to bathe the baby. To celebrate this, tea or fragrant water is used to bathe a baby Buddha statue in a ritual that symbolizes the purification of our mind. A small standing figure of the baby Buddha is placed on an elevated stand within a basin. Participants approach the altar, fill a ladle with water, and pour it over the figure to "bathe" the baby.
