Hanamatsuri: Buddhists’ celebration of Buddha’s birth in Orange County, Apr. 14, 15         

 

Cultural News, April 2007    

   The Orange County Buddhist Church will be celebrating their annual cultural event, Hanamatsuri, the birthday of the Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, on April 14 and 15.

 

   The event will feature cultural exhibits, including flower arrangements, tea ceremony, a display of swords, hand crafted Japanese dolls, displays of Buddhists in internment camps of World War II, books on Buddhism, display of colorful koi. 

 

   A stage show will feature classical Japanese dancing, martial arts, classical Japanese instruments, classical music, and the taiko group.

 

    The food bazaar will include teriyaki chicken, beef teriyaki, won-ton, sushi, oden, udon, chow mein, Imagawa yaki, dango, corn, and spam musubi.

 

    Public are cordially invited to attend the Hanamatsuri Services that will be held on Sunday, April 8 at 10 a.m.  The guest speakers will be Rev. LaVerne Senyo Sasaki, Minister Emeritus, in English and Socho (Bishop) Koshin Ogui, in Japanese. 

 

    The attendees will be able to see a beautiful service honoring the birth of the Buddha with children and adults offering sweet tea and flowers to the “baby” Buddha, placed in a shrine with colorful flowers surrounding him, and placed on an elephant. 

 

   Orange County Buddhist Church is located at 909 South Dale Ave., Anaheim, CA 92804, (714) 827-9590, ocbc909@aol.com, www.bca-ocbc.org.