Saka Dawa is the holiest day in the Tibetan culture and the most sacred Buddhist holiday. Traditionally held on the full moon day (15th Lunar Day) of the 4th Lunar month of the Tibetan Calendar, it was celebrated this year on May 25.
The day is significant as the celebration of three great events in the life of Shakyamuni Buddha: his birth in Lumbini; his enlightenment during a full moon night in Bodhgaya; and his parinirvana (death) in the city of Kushinagar. The name ‘Saka Dawa’ comes from ‘Dawa’ meaning month in Tibetan, and ‘Saka’ which is the name of the star which is closest to Earth, and thus most prominent, at this time of the year, and one of the 28 major stars used in Tibetan astrology calculations.
Tibetan Buddhists, be it monks, nuns, or the general Tibetan population inside Tibet and in exile all over the world took a day off from work to perform purifications and activities to accumulate merit. As it is believed that the merit of any good deed that one performs this month is multiplied as much as one hundred million times, followers make a point of offering donations and money to the needy, praying and reciting mantras, refraining from eating meat, making prostrations, lighting butter lamps, releasing animal into freedom and also circumambulating around stupas and other holy places. Saka Dawa is known as the ‘vegetarian month’ by many today.
Saka Dawa is celebrated with a special early morning puja led by monks at the monastery. Traditionally everyone gathers to make a promise to follow the ten Tibetan Buddhist virtues, by promising to avoid, and to practice the opposite of: killing and harming others; stealing; sexual contact; lying; slandering; saying painful words; talking uselessly; having bad thoughts and being involved in wrong beliefs. People spend the day reciting the six syllable mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, and making prostrations in order to show their respect to lord Buddha.
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