Correction: it will be May 26th this year.

Buddha Purnima: the 1st full moon in late April or early May (5th May this year). Celebrated in India, China & wherever Buddhism has spread. The birthday of Buddha Siddharta Gautama, as well as the day of his enlightenment, & of his passage into Nirvana, collectively called the Triple Blessing. The day before this celebration is a day of fasting, prayer, & contemplation, as well as offerings of food, money & incense; but upon the dawning of the next day, grand parades, dramatic reenactments of events from the life of the Buddha, & other spectacles are held, with much burning of incense and scattering of flowers. As the evening draws, lanterns are lit & every lamp in every building is turned on, as a symbol of Buddha's enlightenment & illumination of mankind. And--lest one forget--the sacred Bodhi Tree, under which Buddha sat as he meditated & achieved enlightenment, is ceremoniously watered.