This is a list of some holidays celebrated within the Buddhist tradition. (source: Wikipedia)
Vesak: The Buddha’s birthday is known as Vesak and is one of the major festivals of the year. It is celebrated on the first full moon day in May, or the fourth lunar month which usually occurs in May or during a lunar leap year, June. In some countries this has become an occasion to not only celebrate the birth but also the enlightenment and parinirvana of the Buddha.
Parinirvana Day: also known as Nirvana Day, a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrated in East Asia, usually on February 15.
Magha Puja: Magha Puja is an important religious festival celebrated by Buddhists in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos on the full moon day of the third lunar month (this usually falls in February or March)
Buddha’s Birthday: Also known as “Hanamatsuri”, it is celebrated April 8 and in Japan baby Buddha figurines are ceremonially washed with tea.
Asalha Puja Day: Also known as “Dharma Day” celebrates the Buddha’s first teaching on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month, approximately July.
Uposatha: This day is known as observance day, there are four holy days on the new moon, full moon, and quarter moon days every month.
Abhidhamma Day: According to Burmese tradition, this day celebrates when the Buddha went to the Tushita Heaven to teach his mother the Abhidhamma. It is celebrated on the full moon of the seventh month the Burmese lunar year which starts in April.
The Elephant Festival: The Buddha used an example of a wild elephant which is harnessed to a tame one to be trained. He said that a person who is new to Buddhism should have a special relationship with an older Buddhist. This festival takes place on the third Saturday in November.
The Festival of the Tooth: In Sri Lanka there is a temple that houses a tooth relic of the Buddha. It can’t be seen, but once a year there is a procession for it on the full moon in August.
Bodhi Day: The holiday which commemorates the day that the historical Buddha experienced enlightenment.
