Magha Puja Day

06/02/2024

Diversity

Magha Puja Day (also known as Sangha Day) is the second most important Buddhist festival. Most commonly, it is observed on the full moon day of the third lunar month, which this year is 24 February.

It celebrates a moment about 2,500 years ago when 1,250 enlightened Buddhist monks who had all been ordained by the Buddha came to see him without being summoned. It is celebrated most extensively in Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, but it is also popular among Buddhists in the West.

Magha Puja is a day that Buddhists make merit, a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts. Many Buddhists celebrate the day by holding processions, lighting candles and oil lamps, chanting, meditating, exchanging gifts, and attending temples.