Together, at the Philippine Cultural Center in Virginia Beach, we celebrated the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha 2634 years ago. This year’s event was particularly special because we had more distinguished guests and a variety of entertainment. As usual, the Vietnamese, vegetarian food was abundant and delicious. The joyous occasion began with an opening ceremony that included a fantastic Dragon Dance. Speeches in Vietnamese were delivered by Thich Chuc Do and Thich Chuc Hoi followed by a speech in English by Kathy Manzella (Thanh Tu). Our special guests, the Thai monks from Wat Pasantidhamma (Satipatthana Peace Center) gave a wonderful speech about the meaning of Buddha’s birth and what it means to be compassionate.

The Dong Hung Temple monks gathered on stage with the Thai monks to chant together. It sounded beautiful and the contrast of the two types of chanting (one in Pali, one in Vietnamese) created a wonderful harmony of sounds.

One of the highlights of the Buddha’s Birthday is the Buddha’s Bathing Ceremony. People lined up to pour water over the statue of the young Buddha. Besides symbolizing inner purification, it is believed that the act of bathing the Buddha can help with the purifying our hearts.

The evening followed with several Vietnamese singers as well as an American, non-Vietnamese singer – something new to Buddha’s birthday! Each singer was showered with flowers and hugs after their performance. We are so grateful that they were able to share their beautiful voices on this special day.

We look forward to another wonderful year and hope to see you at next year’s Vesak Celebration.

May Buddha bless all beings with good health and happiness!

Thanh Tu (Kathy Manzella)