In Japan, today is a very special celebration called Hana Matsuri. The name translates to flower festival. It is the Japanese version of Buddha’s Birthday. Various Asian countries have different traditions regarding the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha. Most abide by the traditional Buddhist calendar and call the holiday Vesak.
However, because of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese use the Gregorian calendar. So the tradition of the Buddha’s birth being on the eighth day of the fourth month has fallen onto today’s date.
Legendary folk stories describe Buddha’s birth in Lumbini, Nepal. Right after his birth, he took seven steps. In each footstep, flowers immediately sprouted. The baby then declared, “I am alone in heaven and on earth”. Right afterwards, nine dragons descended from the sky and baptized him with pure water.
The religious form of Buddhism celebrates Hana Matsuri in the form of a nativity. A floral hut or display is constructed at the sites of Japanese Buddhist temples. A basin of water complete with a statue of the infant Buddha is placed inside the display. Temple visitors then are invited to pour hydrangea tea over the head of the Buddha statue. This represents the cleansing by the dragons. The flowers represent the forested area of Lumbini and the flowers in the footsteps of the baby Buddha.
Those people who believe Buddhism as a religion also bring a container of the sweet hydrangea tea home to drink. Some believe that a prayer written in hydrangea based ink will ward off harmful snakes and insects. The prayer is hung upside down near the front door of the home.
Whether or not the Buddhist practitioner is religious, the flower festival is a revered time to enjoy the arrival of nature’s floral displays.
Sayonara
The Blue Jay of Happiness reminds you that Asian dragons are auspicious mythical creatures that are not harmful unlike those of the west.
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