21st Annual Buddha’s Day fest held on 14 May

By
0
1895
21st Annual Buddha's Day fest held on 14 May
Baby blessings, mindfulness colouring, tea and meditation, world peace ceremony and more – this popular festival returns to Federation Square for its 21st consecutive year on 14 & 15 May 2016
More than 85,000 people visited the free two-day community and family festival, held in celebration of Buddha’s birthday.

Over 30 individual events and activities were offered, including a baby blessing ceremony, children’s games and activities, international vegetarian food fair and cooking demonstrations, Dharma talks, and a twilight offering ceremony.

Community members from all faiths and walks of life were encouraged to explore the theme for this year’s event, ‘Future and Hope’. It is through hope for the Earth and its people, that there will be a brighter future.

Mindfulness is strong on the agenda this year. The public was invited to participate in a large-scale mindfulness colouring project, and experience three ways into everyday mindfulness practices. Mindfulness colouring can reduce anxiety and eliminate stress and is often seen as a method to calm the mind and improve concentration.
‘The Sacred Garden and The Little Prince’ is an intricate artwork that is five metres long and was hand-drawn in Melbourne over the course of three months in early 2016. Meanwhile, the tri-part Journey to Mindfulness gave participants the chance to get hands on with tea ceremonies, calligraphy and incense ceremonies.

The festival’s pinnacle events were a World Peace Blessing Ceremony and a multifaith concert, held on Saturday afternoon and evening. The Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne opened the ceremony with a traditional lion and dragon dance, and representatives of many of Victoria’s cultural communities will appear in traditional costume. Cultural performers, including the dynamic Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir and North Indian Classical dance performers Kathak Medley, graced the stage at the ‘Moving in Harmony’ multifaith concert.

2016 marks the annual festival’s 21st anniversary. It celebrates Buddha’s birthday, and the diversity of a multicultural and multifaith society. It promotes inclusiveness, cultural awareness, cultural understanding; and enhances community spirit and social harmony.

Guests of honour and speakers included: Matthew Guy, Leader of the Opposition; Ron Gauci, CEO of Federation Square; Councillor Jackie Watts; Tsebin Tchen, Commissioner to the Victorian Multicultural Commission; Hong Lim, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Asia Engagement; Alan Wong, President of Buddha’s Light International Association of Victoria and; Venerable Man Ko, Head Abbess of Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Australia and New Zealand.

Donate To The Indian Sun

Dear Reader,

The Indian Sun is an independent organisation committed to community journalism. We have, through the years, been able to reach a wide audience especially with the growth of social media, where we also have a strong presence. With platforms such as YouTube videos, we have been able to engage in different forms of storytelling. However, the past few years, like many media organisations around the world, it has not been an easy path. We have a greater challenge. We believe community journalism is very important for a multicultural country like Australia. We’re not able to do everything, but we aim for some of the most interesting stories and journalism of quality. We call upon readers like you to support us and make any contribution. Do make a DONATION NOW so we can continue with the volume and quality journalism that we are able to practice.

Thank you for your support.

Best wishes,
Team The Indian Sun

Comments