Buddha's Birthday Celebration

COME PRAY, PLAY & JOIN IN THE BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY CELELBRATIONS

On 13th May Leicester Square Gardens will be transformed into the Garden of Lumbini – Buddha’s birthplace - where London Fo Guang Shan Temple will celebrate Buddha's birthday with serene blessings, performances and music, Chinese Tea Ceremony demonstration, and many more family friendly activities. Come join us to pray and play!

COLOURFUL PARADE. A procession of the baby Buddha led by our Venerables through Chinatown will kick start the celebration. This sacred ritual of blessing the venue will be accompanied by lion dancers and devotees donning different national costumes carrying various offerings to the Buddha. Come and meet our “3 Mascots of Good Deeds” who represent “Good Speech; Good Deeds and Good Thoughts” - a trio of joyful mottos to be shared by all.

BATHE THE BUDDHA. PURIFY YOUR MIND. Buddhists enjoy this profound ceremony every year to show sincere gratitude, respect and love towards our teacher, Buddha. Non-Buddhists are invited to join in too. Whilst we bathe the Buddha, we remind ourselves to purify our minds from greed, hatred and ignorance.

BLESS YOUR BABY. Venerables of Fo Guang Shan London will host the Baby Blessing Ceremony where children will be blessed to live a happy and fulfilled life under the protection and guidance of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
BLESS US ALL. Together with our friends from other faiths, Venerables will lead the blessing for World Peace and Compassion.

STREET PERFORMANCES. Enjoy a range of Buddhist harmonies, dances, children performances and many more. Don’t miss out!

KEEP CALM & DRINK TEA! Tea Drinking plays a very important role in many cultures. In the Chinese culture, not only is tea drinking important, but the process of brewing tea is also an art. Come and experience the combination of Zen and the traditional tea ceremony, and sample tea brewed by the children of the temple. Along with the Chinese culture theme, have your name or a blessing written in Chinese calligraphy or why don’t you give it a go yourself and practice some calligraphy.

EXAMS COMING UP SOON? Venerables of London Fo Guang Shan Temple will hold a Blessing Ceremony where students will be blessed with diligence, wisdom and the confidence to face their exams peacefully and calmly.

GOT A QUESTION? JUST ASK! Our Venerables and senior devotees will answer any questions you have on Buddhism, faith and life in general. Together, we will explore the life of Buddha, the man who became “awakened”, discover the wisdom and compassion of this enlightened teacher and the relevance of his teachings in the contemporary world.