Given the unique circumstances this year, we bring the hanamido to you! We invite you to click the button below to virtually pour sweet tea over baby Buddha.

Video by Rev. Kerry Kiyohara based on a concept by Dr. Benjamin Bruch.
You can find a version that includes chanting on Makawao Hongwanji’s YouTube channel.

About Buddha Day

April 8 is Buddha Day, also known as Hanamatsuri (Flower Festival). On or near this date, Buddhists commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini Garden. Siddhartha became the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, and was the manifestation of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Wisdom and Compassion.

Buddha Day observances at temples often feature a hanamido, a miniature floral altar with a figure of the baby Buddha. Attendees use a dipping cup to bathe the figure in sweet tea, representing the sweet rain that fell when Siddhartha was born.