Buddhist Calendar for 2009
January
3 Medicine Buddha Day
5 Guru Rinpoche Day
11 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
20 Dakini Day
24 Protector Day
26 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
27 Tibetan New Year: 2135, Year of the Female Earth Ox
First Tibetan Month: Water Tiger Month
The first 15 lunar days of this month are for celebrating
Buddha's miracles. These are Wheel Days, seen as very
auspicious days for practice.
February
2 Medicine Buddha Day
4 Guru Rinpoche Day
8 Parinirvana-Nirvana Day (Mahayana): Festival Marking the
Anniversary of Buddha's Death (Pure Land Buddhists call
this Nirvana Day; some Buddhists celebrate it on 15 Feb.)
9 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
15 Parinirvana-Nirvana Day (Mahayana) (Alternative Date)
Celebrated by some Buddhists on 8 February, this day
commemorates Buddha's death when he reached total
nirvana at the age of 80.
19 Dakini Day
23 Protector Day
25 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
26 Second Tibetan Month: Hare Month
March
4 Medicine Buddha Day
6 Guru Rinpoche Day
11 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
21 Dakini Day
25 Protector Day
26 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
27 Third Tibetan Month: Dragon Month
Kalachakra (Great Wheel of Time) New Year (Tibetan)
April
2 Medicine Buddha Day
4 Guru Rinpoche
8 Birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha (Japanese Mahayana)
9 Buddha Reveals the Kalachakra Teachings
Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
Theravada New Year (New Year festival for Theravada
Buddhists, celebrated for 3 days from the first full
moon day in April.)
20 Dakini Day
24 Protector Day
26 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
Fourth Tibetan Month: Saka Dawa (Buddha's birth is
celebrated on the 7th lunar day, and his parinirvana
and enlightenment are celebrated on the full moon
day.)
Wheel Day (best for practice)
May
2 Birth of the Perfect Buddha at Lumbini (Tibetan)
Wheel Day
Medicine Buddha Day
4 Guru Rinpoche Day
9 Saga Dawa (Tibetan); Vesak Day (Theravada);
Buddha Day (The most important Buddhist festival,
celebrating Buddha's birthday, and for some Buddhists
also marking his birth and death.
Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
19 Dakini Day
23 Protector Day
24 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
25 Fifth Tibetan Month: Wild Horse Month (The festival
for bringing harmony to the world's driving forces
is held on the full moon day.)
31 Medicine Buddha Day
June
2 Guru Rinpoche Day
7 Local Deities Day (Tibetan)
Birthday of His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa
Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
14 Flag Day
17 Dakini Day
21 Protector Day
22 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
23 Sixth Tibetan Month: Sheep Month
29 Medicine Buddha Day
July
1 Guru Rinpoche Day
5 Birthday of Vajrapani (Weitou), the Dharma Protector
(Mahayana)
Birthday of Padmasambhava (Mahayana)
6 Birthday Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
Dharmachakra Day (Tibetan): Buddha's First Teaching
of the Four Noble Truths
7 Asala (Dharma Day): Buddha's First Sermon "The Wheel of
Truth" after Enlightenment
Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
16 Asalha Puja Day (Theravada)
Dakini Day
19 Vassa (Rains Retreat) begins (Theravada)
20 Protector Day
21 Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva's Enlightenment
(Mahayana)
22 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
23 Seventh Tibetan Month: Monkey Month
29 Medicine Buddha Day
31 Guru Rinpoche Day
August
6 Shakymuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
15 Ullambana: Remembrance of Ancestors and Feast of
Hungry Ghosts (Mahayana)
Dakini Day
19 Protector Day
20 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
21 Eighth Tibetan Month: Bird Month
27 Medicine Buddha Day
29 Guru Rinpoche Day
30 Birthday of Ksitigarbha (Dizang) Bodhisattva (Mahayana)
September
4 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
13 Dakini Day
17 Protector Day
18 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
19 Ninth Tibetan Month: Dog Month (The 22nd lunar day marks
the fourth main festival of the year, commemorating Buddha's
return from the deva realms. He had temporarily left the
earthly world to liberate his mother, Mahamaya.)
21 Higan-E: Reminder of Impermanence (Mahayana)
25 Medicine Buddha Day
27 Guru Rinpoche Day
October
4 Shakamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
10 Lhaba Duchen: Buddha Shakyamuni's return from the
Deva Realms
Wheel Day
12 Dakini Day
16 Protector Day
17 Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva's Renunciation
(Mahayana)
18 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
19 Tenth Tibetan Month: Pig Month
25 Medicine Buddha Day
27 Guru Rinpoche Day
28 Kathina (Theravada): Cloth offerings made to the Sangha
Birthday of Bhaisajyaguru (Yaoshifo), Medicine Buddha
(Mahayana)
November
2 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
11 Dakini Day
15 Protector Day
16 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
17 Eleventh Tibetan Month: Mouse Month
23 Medicine Buddha Day
25 Guru Rinpoche Day
December
2 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)
8 Bodhi Day (Jodo-E) (Mahayana) (Celebration of Buddha's
Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya, India.)
10 Dakini Day
14 Birthday of Amitabha Buddha (Mahayana)
Protector Day
16 Shakyamuni Buddha Day
17 Twelfth Tibetan Month: Ox Month
23 Medicine Buddha Day
25 Guru Rinpoche Day
31 Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Full moon)