With food, entertainment, dancing and cake, it was like any birthday party. Except at this birthday party, held Sunday, May 16 at Ypao Beach Park amphitheater, the guest of honor was a little older than most.
Celebrating the 2,554th Buddhist year, Buddha’s Birthday Community Festival brought members of the Guam Taiwanese, Korean and Thai communities together to honor the life and teachings of Buddha during an afternoon of family friendly entertainment, food and cultural sharing.
The event began with performances by cultural dancers and the ritual bathing of the Buddha, an act that symbolizes inner purification and cleansing, says organizer Rich Huang, president of the Buddha’s Light International Association Guam Chapter.
Members of the community took turns bathing the statue at the event, to “remind ourselves to always be doing good deeds and purifying,” says Huang.
Usually held at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, the event was help at Ypao beach for the first time as a way of reaching out to the wider Guam community.
Local food vendors sold a diverse array of foods, including colorful bubble teas, fried vegetable rolls, spicy Korean noodles, Thai ice teas and, of course, cake — puffy pink rice cakes filled with red bean paste.
And community members, including several vibrantly dressed monks — took turns coloring images of the Buddha, while local Chamorro dancers took to the stage.
“We’re quite happy. There were a lot of people from everywhere, people from different communities who came even though they didn’t know what it was about,” says Huang, who says organizers hope to build on the success of the event in coming years.
Source : http://www.guampdn.com
