New Year (Tết) – Comparable to the celebration of the Western New Year. Also to welcome the arrival of spring, the symbol of Joy and Happiness. This celebration officially begins on the eve of the New Lunar Year and extends to the observance of Lễ Thượng Nguyên – Prayer Service welcoming the New Lunar Year – with the chanting of The Beginning Anew Sutra at the end of the old Lunar Year and The Healing Bhaisajva Sutra at the beginning of the New Lunar Year.
One week prior to the New Lunar Year, the VNBC organizes a Tết Festival, selling souvenirs, candies, food, and flowers, especially designed to be used by the Vietnamese during the Tết season. The New Year’s eve is celebrated with dragon dances, prayer service, and a good luck gift (normally a flower or a fruit from a Buddhist temple) handed out to the temple goers by the Sangha. This is one of the most memorable events to participate in for those who are not familiar with the Vietnamese culture.
2.The Pilgrimage of Quán Âm Bodhisattva – This celebration is observed on the last Friday & Saturday in March. This is also the time that the Buddhist Sangha from all over the world join together with thousands of Buddhist practitioners to pray for world peace, with the ritual walk of one prostation for every three-step taken. The celebration is beautified with lighted lotus flower floats, and majestically enchants the participants with the wondrous sounds of the Grand Bell and the Prajna Drum. The lines of yellow and gray robes worn by monks and other devotees radiate the serenity of the prayer for peace.
3.The Birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha – The Founder of Buddhism. The celebration takes place around the middle of the fourth month of the Lunar Year. The celebration is observed worldwide. At the VNBC, this ceremony includes the symbolic bathing of the baby prince (the Buddha) with flowers and holy water, the prayer service thanking the founder for showing to mankind “The Way” to salvation. During this period, the Huyền Quang Buddhist Youth performs a short play about the Buddha’s life, to teach the children the history of Buddhism and the significance of the Buddha’s teachings.
4.Summer Retreat Session – This two-week retreat is conducted during July. A monk’s/nun’s Buddhist age started at his/her official oridination. One Buddhist year is added to those monks/nuns who attended and practiced during the Summer Retreat Session. The session is lead by an experienced and highly trained monk. During this period, a sutra is selected and analyzed in detail. Paravana is also observed during this time. Paravana is the practice whereby ordained monks/nuns, in front of the whole assembly, appeal to their peers to point out their infractions. Lay people are also encouraged to participate in the regular session, but not in the Paravana. The two-week retreat session ends with a “gathering for tea” where the participants share their thoughts and joy.
5.Ullambana(filial piety) - Ceremony honoring one’s parents and ancestors – This event is observed during the middle of the 7th month of the Lunar Year. This celebration starts with a week of chanting of the Ullambana Sutra prior to the official ceremony. The official celebration is movingly embellished with the fastening of a rose to one’s attire in gratitute to one’s parents. A red rose means that one’s parent is still alive; a white rose signifies the gratitute to a deceased parent. For the Huyền Quang Youth, this may be the most tearful event of the year. Childre