Buddha's Birthday (Lễ Phật đản): the full moon of the fourth lunar month
Lễ Phật đản marks the birth of the Buddha. Why some traditions use the 8th and others the 15th of the fourth lunar month, the usual activities, and the next three dates.
Every year in the fourth lunar month, pagodas put up flags and lanterns for Lễ Phật đản, the celebration of the birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni in the Lumbini garden.
When it falls
The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam, GHPGVN) holds the official celebration on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, the full moon. The next three dates, in Vietnam time:
| Lunar year | 8th of month 4 | 15th of month 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Đinh Mùi | Thursday, 13 May 2027 | Thursday, 20 May 2027 |
| Mậu Thân | Tuesday, 2 May 2028 | Tuesday, 9 May 2028 |
| Kỷ Dậu | Sunday, 20 May 2029 | Sunday, 27 May 2029 |
The 8th is in the table because some traditions use it, as explained below. How the full-moon day is worked out is covered in Rằm and mùng một.
The 8th or the 15th?
Buddhist traditions do not all pick the same day:
- Some, such as the Northern (Mahayana) tradition, celebrate on the 8th of the fourth month.
- Others, such as the Southern (Theravada) tradition, and the Buddha’s Birthday recognised by many countries, use the 15th.
In Vietnam, the GHPGVN takes the 15th as the main day. Under the Sangha’s 2026 guidance, Buddha’s Birthday week ran from the 8th to the 15th of the fourth month, so both days see activities.
Common activities
- Bathing the Buddha. Pagodas and many Buddhist families hold a ceremony of bathing a statue of the infant Buddha.
- Flags and lanterns. Pagodas, Buddhist centres and Buddhist homes put up Buddhist flags, banners and lanterns.
The sources we compared do not give a common set of offerings for this day, so this post does not list any. If you plan to visit a pagoda, you can ask about its schedule for that year.
Festivals in Qelunai
The month view in Qelunai shows the lunar date and solar term of every day, worked out in Vietnam time right on your phone. In the next update, the calendar will mark traditional festivals, with a Festival section in Day details and an optional reminder one day before (off by default). To look up the lunar date of any day, use the Lunar calendar page.
Sources
- Thanh Niên, "Đại lễ Phật đản: Đức Phật đản sinh ngày nào?" (22/05/2024)
- Phatgiao.org.vn, "Nguồn gốc và ý nghĩa của lễ Phật Đản" (03/01/2019)
- Báo Pháp luật TP.HCM, "Trung ương Giáo hội ban hành Thông bạch Hướng dẫn tổ chức Đại lễ Phật đản Phật lịch 2570 (Bính Ngọ, 2026)" (15/04/2026)
- Báo Lào Cai, "Hướng dẫn tổ chức Đại lễ Phật đản 2026, Phật lịch 2570" (21/04/2026)
Articles are cultural reference, not professional advice. Illustrations drawn by AI.