Festivals in Buddhism are special times of celebration. Most of them take place once a year and may last for once or more days. Many festivals honor great leaders, saints, or gods. Other celebrates anniversary of a historical event. Buddhist hold tows principle kinds of festivals. The first time of that festival commemorates several key events in the life of Buddha. The second types of Buddhist festival honor the community of Buddhist monks. One of the first types of festival is “Visak Bochea”. It is the most important Buddhism celebration. The word “Visak” comes from the Indian month which falls in may enlightenment, and his dead. Therefore, for Buddhist through the world, Visak is the holiest day. It is celebrated grandly with mass meeting and procession. Caged birds are set free.
Most Cambodian people are Buddhists, they believe in relncamation. This means that what they pass away. They will be born again in the future. In Cambodia, Visak Bochea festival started under the reign of King Ang Duong in 1855. It is a big festival which Khmer people celebrate in order to have a memory of Buddha, the birthday of Buddha, his enlightenment and his death. These three important dates happen in the same day and month but different year. The festival always falls on the 15th of the waxing moon (May) not only in our country, but also other Buddhism countries in different parts of the world.
Visak festival is one of many religious ceremonies in Cambodia as well as other Buddhism countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, etc. it marks the birthday, the enlightenment and the death of Buddha. It’s most significant time for all the Buddhists in for them to calm down their feeling by listening to the monk’s sermon. In this way, their mood is refreshed and their tension is relieved, etc.
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