Saka Dawa Celebrations

Yesterday, Ethan and I attended our first ever Saka Dawa Celebration together. Since I practice Tibetan Buddhism, Buddha's Birth and Enlightenment is celebrated around June, on the 15th day of the 4th Lunar Month. The overcast skies did nothing to deter the families who turned up with a multitude of offerings to celebrate Lord Shakyamuni Buddha's Birthday! And since I was on MC duty, Aunty Sharlene got called in for Babysitting Duty!

Aunty Sharlene on Babysitting Duties

Immediately, the children were drawn to the white 6-tusk elephant. What made this elephant extra special was that it was the result of lots of hard work not just on my part, but also thanks to the amazing woodwork of Glen Mackley & his amazing wife, Leanne. And even more splendid was that my own Mum, who wasn't even Buddhist, had helped to paint & create the amazing decorations for the elephant. It was a precious gift for the children & the Buddha indeed!

The Kids listening to how the elephant appeared to Buddha's Mother in a dream.

 It didn't take long for the kids to get the idea and they flocked to the decorations table, eagerly dressing the elephant with flowers (to represent each of our Buddha Potential), pearls (so we can cultivate attain pearls of wisdom), bells (to represent the pure sound of Buddha's techings, the Dharma) and rainbow flags (so we can soon become Enlightened and attain our rainbow bodies)!

Ethan had a lot of fun helping to decorate the White Elephant

Those beautiful little jewelled-cloth flowers were made by Ethan's Poh Poh!

Hmm... we need more pearls. Yes... right about here will do...

Doesn't that Elephant look handsome? Great job kids!

Once the elephant was decorated, it was time to parade into the Gompa for Buddha's Birthday Party! So the kids grabbed the ropes and off went our little train, complete with homemade musical instruments!

Gosh, don't they just look cute?

We gathered in the Gompa to say prayers together. It was truly special seeing all the Sangha, families & friends around Baby Buddha & that brightly decorated elephant.

I'm doing the honours as Buddha's MC ^ ^

And it wouldn't be a party without Cake! This amazing cake was made by Venerable Trin-la.

We even had balloons on which the kids wrote their dedications (positive wishes) so we could spread the love!

All in all, it was a fantastic day and I loved that Ethan shared his first Saka Dawa with Sharlene as well. And a Big Thank You to her bf, Joe, for the awesome photos. He captured what happened so beautifully. I have to confess, the highlight of the day was finding Ethan hiding next to the white elephant, quietly eating a chocolate crackle with glee.

 

I can't wait to share more beautiful moments like these with my family. This was definitely a Motherhood Highlight!

More posts to come,
Demi.