Night of flower lanterns celebrating Buddha's birthday at Fansipan

Sun World Fansipan Legend will organize a Buddha's birthday festival with the highlight being the ceremony of offering 1,000 flower lanterns at the Amitabha Buddha statue area on June 3.

Buddha's Birthday is one of the three major holidays of the year in Buddhism, commemorating the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni in the 7th century BC. Since 1999, Buddha's Birthday on the 15th day of the 4th lunar month has been recognized by the United Nations as a world cultural and spiritual festival.

At the spiritual complex on the top of Fansipan this year, activities and ceremonies to celebrate Buddha's birthday will take place from 10am to 9pm on June 3 (April 16th of the lunar calendar). The program is themed "Buddha's blessings" and is chaired by Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien - Vice President and General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Buddha statue on top of Fansipan. Photo: Sun Group

A representative of Sun World Fansipan Legend said that as of May 30, the event had attracted hundreds of monks, nuns, and Buddhists to worship and make offerings with nearly 3,000 fresh lotus flowers forming a large lotus scene in the cloud yard area. Currently, all spiritual architectural works at an altitude of 2,900 m on the top of Fansipan have been decorated with thousands of colorful festival flags.

During the ceremony on the morning of June 3, the Fansipan spiritual complex at an altitude of 2,900 m will hold a grand ceremony to pray for national peace and prosperity. The program includes traditional Buddhist rituals, including a flag-raising ceremony from the great Amitabha Buddha statue, through the La Han path along the mountain and ending with an incense offering ceremony at Kim Son Bao Thang Tu.

On the afternoon of June 3, there will be a grand ceremony called "Buddha's Blessings", where Venerable Thich Duc Thien and monks, nuns, and Buddhists in blue robes will chant the Dharmachakra Sutra and the Buddha's Birthday Sutra. This year's program also includes a Dharma talk to celebrate Buddha's Birthday with the theme "Buddha's Blessings" chaired by Venerable Thich Duc Thien.

National peace and prosperity ceremony on Fansipan peak in 2020. Photo: Sun Group

Attending the Buddha's birthday celebration at Fansipan this year, visitors have the opportunity to participate in the "Thousands of flower lanterns offered to Buddha" activity at the Amitabha Buddha statue area. According to Buddhist beliefs, flower lanterns are a traditional ritual to commemorate the Buddha's light of wisdom. Each flower lantern that visitors offer incense can send prayers for peace and health for the family.

To make the ceremony more sacred, Sun World Fansipan Legend has prepared nearly 1,000 lanterns for attendees. In the vast space at the top of the mountain, the light of the lanterns is like a large lamp illuminating the path leading to the great Amitabha Buddha statue. Nearly 1,000 of these lanterns will be used to arrange the words "Quoc thai", "Dan an" and "Van" in the yard surrounding the great Buddha statue. All are expected to bring a shimmering, magical scene to the sacred peak of Fansipan.

The lantern offering ceremony was organized by Sun Group at the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Festival on the top of Ba Den Mountain, Tay Ninh . Photo: Sun Group

An indispensable part of the Buddha's birthday celebration is the Buddha bathing ceremony held in the yard outside the great Buddha statue. According to Buddhist beliefs, each ladle of water represents a wish, towards goodness and peace. This is also an opportunity for visitors from all over to admire the gentle sunset scene on the mountain top. Accordingly, when the sun gradually sets behind the mountain range, the sunset light blends with the light of the lanterns at an altitude of 2,900m, creating a strange, shimmering scene.

The Fansipan spiritual complex is magical and shimmering at night. Photo: Sun Group

In addition, Sun World Fansipan Legend will organize the art program "Happy Buddha's Birthday". The background music of Buddhist songs will be gentle and graceful lotus dances. Also on the holiday, the resort will prepare vegetarian cuisine with a variety of dishes for visitors at Van Sam, Van Son Tra Quan and Do Quyen restaurants at the arrival terminal.

Fansipan, with an altitude of 3,143 m, is the highest mountain in Vietnam. The Fansipan spiritual complex stretches from an altitude of 2,900 m to the top of the mountain. The area includes 12 architectural works in the style of ancient Vietnamese pagodas from the 15th-16th centuries. The balance of Buddhist culture and the indigenous spiritual world has created value for the worship area. Every year, especially during Buddhist holidays, many Buddhists return here to worship and pay homage to the spiritual complex amidst the clouds and mountain winds.

This year, with many activities and ceremonies being held for the first time on an unprecedented scale and methodical manner on the occasion of Buddha's birthday, Fansipan is expected to be a destination of interest to Buddhists throughout the holiday.

Vnexpress.net