Buddha’s Birthday or “‘Buddha Day”‘ (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Gautama Buddha, who was the founder of Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, Gautama Buddha was born c. 563–483 BCE in Lumbini, Nepal.[2] Archaeologists from Durham University working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C. using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques [3]

The exact date of Buddha’s birthday is based on the Asian lunisolar calendars. The date for the celebration of Buddha’s birthday varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar, but usually falls in April or May. In leap years it may be celebrated in June.

In South and Southeast Asia, the Buddha’s birth is celebrated as part of Vesak, a festival that also celebrates the Buddha’s enlightenment (on the day of the full moon) and death. In East Asia, Vietnam and the Philippines, the awakening and death of the Buddha are observed as separate holidays.