Home » Mind & Soul » Buddhism » Buddhist New Year

Buddhist New Year

© Yeshe Chodon

What do we do every year, be we Jodo Shinshu Buddhists,-- the local Jodo Shinshu group informs us that this is the year 2487 according to the Buddhist Calendar and the year of Horse -- Mahayana or any other ...yana Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims or Hindus? We "reflect upon and correct our past mistakes and look forward to a better life in the new year. Reflection, hope and resolution are some of the basic elements of an active religious life." That quote is lifted from http://shinmission_sg.tripod.com/honganm... Religious Observances in Jodo Shinshu, but it is a universal statement about the meaning of New Year's for any of us who are looking to experience more than loud noise and stumbling drunks this holiday. Any religious observation around this time will include reflection, formulation of resolutions, and ceremonies to invoke higher energies to strengthen our resolves and to carry the work into higher spheres.

So in general terms, Buddhist New Year is more like any other New Year than it is different. However, within Buddhism, because this religion covers so many countries and exists amid so many host cultural traditions, there is an amazing diversity in the timing of the New Year and in the observances. The Buddhist Calendar is calculated differently in various parts of the world. Visit http://www.dailyglobe.com/buddha.html The Daily Globe Buddhist Calendar for a thorough and lucid explanation. A sample:

The most common type of Buddhist calendar is lunar and begins roughly in December or January of the Gregorian calendar. Each month is approximately 29 or 30 days, depending upon the length of the each moon. In essence the Buddhist calendar is similar to the Hindu calendar but uses a different moon to begin the New Year. Every few years an extra intercalary or leap day is added after the 7th Month. Occassionally, an extra month is added there as well. Because of this system, it is often quite difficult to predict when Buddhist holidays will be celebrated from year to year. Most areas simply use numbers for the months, an exception being Sri Lanka which has its own names.

Theraveda Buddhists begin the New Year on a solar basis calculated upon the zodiac from the point at which the sun enters Aries, which is often between April 13-18. Some Buddhists use the Gregorian calendar. Mayahana Buddhists celebrate Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death according to the Gregorian calendar.

The website includes a chart of Buddhist holidays and their dates this year.

The copyright of the article Buddhist New Year in Buddhism is owned by Yeshe Chodon. Permission to republish Buddhist New Year in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.