Hana Matsuri
8 April 2026 — May the flowers and the quiet light bring peace to all.
Hana Matsuri, the “Flower Festival”, is the Japanese celebration of the birth of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In Japan it is observed on 8 April, while in many other East Asian countries the date follows the lunar calendar and shifts each year. The tradition is very old and draws on the Buddhist story of the Buddha being born in the garden of Lumbini, among flowers.
Temples set up a small flower-decked shrine called a hana-mido, with a statue of the infant Buddha at its centre. Visitors gently pour amacha, a sweet tea made from hydrangea leaves, over the statue. The custom recalls the old tale of sweet rain falling at his birth. Tea is often shared with visitors, and some temples hold processions featuring a white elephant, a symbol tied to the story of the dream of the Buddha’s mother. The festival often coincides with the cherry blossom season in Japan and has a calm, grateful and gentle spirit.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver constellation-like white elephant made of luminous dots and fine lines, gently carrying a glowing lotus flower on its back as it drifts across the night sky
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