1. The Vaishakhi Purnima: -The most sacred and the most important festival for the all Buddhists is Vaishakhi Purnima, known in Bangladesh as Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti. It is fixed by the full–moon day of Vaishakh which falls in May. It marks the three events in the Buddha’s life, namely, His Birth, Enlightenment and the Mahàparinibbàna which all took place on the full-moon day of the Vesakh is, in fact, celebrated in all Buddhist countries and by all Buddhist communities. The day also known as the Buddha Day as it commemorates the three important events in the Buddha’s Life mentioned above.
2. The Ashadi Purnima: -The full moon day of Ashada, which falls in July, is known as the Dhamma-Chakra Pravarana Day as on this auspicious day of the Buddha had preached His First Sermon at the deer park at Isipatana, modern Sarnath in India. This sermon entitled the Dhamma-Chakkapavattana Sutta or Turning of the Wheel of the law, marked the beginning of the Buddha Sasana as well as the establishment of the Buddhist Sangha. The missionary activities of the Blessed One also commenced on this day.
3. The Sravani Purnima: -The full moon day of the Sravana purnima that falls in August is associated with memory of the first Buddhist Council, which was held immediately after the Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha. This council was held in Saptapani Cave at Rajagaha (Rajgir) under the president ship of the Maha Kassapa and it codified Buddha-Dhamma, which was mainly recited by Venerables Upali and Ānanda.
4. The Madhu Purnima: -The full -moon day of the Madhu Purnima which falls in September that usually in the month of Bhadra in Bengali. The chronicles recorded that once the monks became very His quarrelsome and split up into factions. The Lord Buddha and His senior disciples tried in vain to pacify them. The Buddha decided to teach them a lesson. Leaving the monastery He went away alone into the forest. There He literally lived with animals. The wild animals of the forest, elephants, monkeys and parrots brought Him food and enabled Him to in peace, which human beings had denied to Him. Madhu- honey was the chief food the animals provided for the Buddha. This Purnima commemorates this event and even today it is customary to offer honey on this day to Buddhist monks.
5. The Pavarana Purnima: -The full –moon day that falls in October, corresponding to the month of the Aswasini, is regarded Pavarana Purnima by the Buddhists as well as Buddhism followers in the world. It marks the end of the Vassavaso.
The word Pavarana means satisfaction of desire, fulfillment of wish, or the day of completion of the study and meditation. During the rainy season (vassa period), which commences on the full-moon day of the Asadha, the monks live in retirement, seldom moving from their monasteries. They spend the whole period in retreat giving themselves upto meditation, study, spiritual training and intellectual development.
On the full-moon day at the end of the Vassa, the devotees holds a festival in honour of the monks who have been residing in their monastery. They offer them foods and gifts of robes. From the Pavarana Purnima start the Kaţhina ceremony.
6. The Maghi Purnima: –The full- moon day in the month of Magha (January-February) marks the day when the Lord Buddha announced in the Chapala Cheitya at Vaisali that at the end of three months He would attain Mahāparinibbāna. This announcement of the Buddha reminded His followers that all life is Anicca (impermanent) that all things must pass away and all conditioned beings are Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta.
The Buddha told them that at the end of three months He would pass out conditioned existence into the final Nibbāna after fulfilling His mission and that He was leaving them. His teaching (Dhamma) that they should in turn pass on to others. Thus Maghi Purnima is celebrated with this spirit of preserving and propagating the Dhamma.
7. The Kaţhina Dana: -The Kathina Dāna or Kathina ceremony can be observed at any time between Aswini Purnima and Karthiki Purnima the months of October and November. Since ancient days the robes were made of cotton, it was called Kathina mean difficult. The robes are traditionally supposed to have made from the row materials, cotton into threads, which was in turn, dyed a woven, and finally, stitched to form the Tri-Civarà (three robes) that ceremonially present to the Bhikkhu Sangha.
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