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• 1 2017-06-19T10:33:44-07:00 Introduction 8 plain 2019-06-11T22:40:28-07:00 Keywords: Siddhārtha Gautama, Awakened One, Buddha, South Asian Buddhism, East Asian Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahāyāna, Vajrayana, Buddha's birthday celebration, Vesak festival, Karma, Great Departure, Enlightenment, Nirvana, Lantern festival, Dipavali Nanda-dipa, Ullambana festival, Ghost festival, Śāriputra, Mahā-maudgalyāyana (Mulian), Three Gems, Buddha's relics
  
  Buddhism is a religious tradition that began in South Asia. The founder of this tradition is a nobleman called Siddhārtha Gautama, who was born in the sixth century BCE. He claimed that he found four noble truths, which became the foundational doctrine of Buddhist tradition. For his realization of these truths, he was called the Buddha, the “Awakened One.” In his teaching, the four noble truths include suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the eightfold noble paths toward the end of suffering. The end of suffering means enlightenment in Buddhism. The Buddha taught his four noble truths for thirty years before he passed away. After his passing, his teaching spread to numerous places across Asia. Nowadays, Buddhism is a global religion. Buddhists have practiced their festivals and celebrations across the boundaries of ethnicity, languages, and nations. Different Buddhist communities within and beyond Asia have developed different festivals and celebrations for defining their religious, social, cultural, and ethnic identities. The activities centered on these festivals and celebrations manifest many facets in rituals and material culture. Traditional and new media have played a vital role in shaping these festivals and celebrations.