<p>I've had a look around and I can't see actual Buddhist holidays that follow a Gregorian calendar. They all seem to shift around with lunar cycles. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_solar_calendar" rel="nofollow">Thai national calendar</a> is a renumbered Gregorian calendar but the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Thailand" rel="nofollow">Buddhist festivals within that</a> are lunar</p>

<p>However I practice with the <a href="https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/what-triratna-buddhist-community" rel="nofollow">Triratna Buddhist community</a> in the UK and we have over a number of years celebrated 'Gregorian' festivals. For instance we have a lovely Buddhist ritual on winter solstice and then again on New Years Eve. I'm not sure if this quite answers your question and I appreciate that this isn't traditional or even standard but I think it's interesting that we are repurposing these days as Buddhist festivals just as Christians repurposed pagan festivals for Christmas and Easter.</p>

<p>So perhaps there are no Gregorian festivals (that I know of) right now but 'Western' Buddhist communities will be busily repurposing existing Gregorian festivals just like we are. Just a thought really. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-26T00:07:32.687Z
I concur. I remember a poorly thought out radio article where the journalist checked in with each world religion to see how they celebrate Christmas (as if a religion necessarily entails a major winter holiday). I've seen photos of Buddhists in Hawaii who repurposed Bodhi Day (Dec 8) as a time to put out Buddhist themed light displays on their lawn. Ref http://familydharma.pulelehuadesign.com/bodhi.htm
MatthewMartin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-25T22:17:26.470Z
2014-07-25T22:17:26.470Z
Crab Bucket
<p>Have any modern Buddhist organization adopted the Gregorian calendar for celebrating Buddhist holidays?</p>

<p>Last time I tried to find something simple as Vesak or some of the other common Buddhist Holiday's, they are celebrated on a lunar calendar and differ from country to country, ref: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak#Dates_of_observance" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak#Dates_of_observance</a> </p>

<p>I'm not affiliated with any particular organized sangha, so I have two challenges-- deciding which holidays to celebrate, and even after that, there isn't a lot of agreement on how to calculate the day.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-20T05:32:59.610Z
Japanese tradition holidays are very different. But for Vesak, you just need the full moon day in May. One of those calendars that shows the moon phases is useful.
Robin111
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-21T14:09:42.760Z
You could try the FPMT Dharma calendar: "http://fpmt.org/media/resources/dharma-dates/" Astrology is rather big in Buddhism, but I don't tend to follow it as I never did previously growing up. It does help, I reckon, to show what the upcoming religious significant dates might be.
PFS32
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-21T22:35:39.503Z
To MatthewMartin, I think your web site (http://brahmanetproject.wakayos.com/) comment system is broken (or I am not clever enough to login to it). It asks me for password after signing in via Facebook but there is nowhere to create or get a password. Thought you should know. Thanks.
PFS32
<traditions><holidays>
Does any modern Buddhist tradition use a Gregorian holiday schedule?
# Does any modern Buddhist tradition use a Gregorian holiday schedule?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-20)

Have any modern Buddhist organization adopted the Gregorian calendar for celebrating Buddhist holidays?

Last time I tried to find something simple as Vesak or some of the other common Buddhist Holiday's, they are celebrated on a lunar calendar and differ from country to country, ref: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak#Dates_of_observance>

I'm not affiliated with any particular organized sangha, so I have two challenges-- deciding which holidays to celebrate, and even after that, there isn't a lot of agreement on how to calculate the day.

**Tags:** traditions, holidays

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Japanese tradition holidays are very different. But for Vesak, you just need the full moon day in May. One of those calendars that shows the moon phases is useful.  
> **username_2**: You could try the FPMT Dharma calendar: "http://fpmt.org/media/resources/dharma-dates/" Astrology is rather big in Buddhism, but I don't tend to follow it as I never did previously growing up. It does help, I reckon, to show what the upcoming religious significant dates might be.  
> **username_2**: To username_0, I think your web site (http://brahmanetproject.wakayos.com/) comment system is broken (or I am not clever enough to login to it). It asks me for password after signing in via Facebook but there is nowhere to create or get a password. Thought you should know. Thanks.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-07-25. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

I've had a look around and I can't see actual Buddhist holidays that follow a Gregorian calendar. They all seem to shift around with lunar cycles. The [Thai national calendar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_solar_calendar) is a renumbered Gregorian calendar but the [Buddhist festivals within that](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Thailand) are lunar

However I practice with the [Triratna Buddhist community](https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/what-triratna-buddhist-community) in the UK and we have over a number of years celebrated 'Gregorian' festivals. For instance we have a lovely Buddhist ritual on winter solstice and then again on New Years Eve. I'm not sure if this quite answers your question and I appreciate that this isn't traditional or even standard but I think it's interesting that we are repurposing these days as Buddhist festivals just as Christians repurposed pagan festivals for Christmas and Easter.

So perhaps there are no Gregorian festivals (that I know of) right now but 'Western' Buddhist communities will be busily repurposing existing Gregorian festivals just like we are. Just a thought really.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I concur. I remember a poorly thought out radio article where the journalist checked in with each world religion to see how they celebrate Christmas (as if a religion necessarily entails a major winter holiday). I've seen photos of Buddhists in Hawaii who repurposed Bodhi Day (Dec 8) as a time to put out Buddhist themed light displays on their lawn. Ref http://familydharma.pulelehuadesign.com/bodhi.htm  

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