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*since 21st April 2009
Chinese New Year is around the corner, why we celebrate Chinese New Year and how the story began? Let me share a fairly tales story with you.
Long ago, the world was not a safe place; monsters dominated the world. There was one horrifying monster that came out on the same day each year to eat people. This monster was named Nian, and the people marked the end of a year by his visits to the human civilization. That is where the Chinese word for year came from.
This monster was the most feared by the people because every time it came out, whole villages would be destroyed at a time. So, every time the monster came, people would huddle together in their homes and stay up all night, wanting not to be eaten. This happened for many years until a wise man thought up a plan to scare the monster away.
This man proposed that the people should light bamboo. The bamboo would crack and make a lot of noise, possibly scaring the monster away. The villagers thought this was a very good idea and started to light the bamboo. The noise was tremendous. The monster was scared by the loud noise and ran back to its cave without not eating any people.
The next morning, everyone was present. They were all elated. The people congratulated each other for executing the plan effectively. So, from then on, people stayed up late, lit firecrackers (to simulate the lighting of the bamboo), and congratulated each other when the new year came.
Wesak Day is the most important festivals of the Buddhists in Malaysia and fall in the month of May. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha because according to Buddhists, all the three events took place on the same lunar date.
The celebration for the Wesak day begins much before the dawn when the Buddhists gather in Buddhist temples for worship all over Malaysia. The celebration is done with prayers, chants, offerings and giving alms. The Buddhist eat a vegetarian diet prior to the festival in order to cleanse and purify themselves. Doves and tortoises are released on the Wesak Day as a symbolic gesture of releasing the soul and giving up the past sins. Free meals are also given to the needy on the Wesak Day.
