Buddhism and Hinduism: Compare and Contrast |
HOLY days
Buddhism
Buddhist holy days include:
Kathina, which celebrates the largest alms-giving ceremony of the year.
Picture from: Home Page. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://vmc128.8m.com/Kathina05/
Losar, which celebrates the Tibetan New Year. Large gatherings are often held to celebrate this important holy day.
Picture from: The Losar Festival, Leh - GoUNESCO. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://www.gounesco.com/losar-festival-leh/
Parinirvana, which is the celebration that marks the death of the Buddha.
Picture from: Obaitori - Parinirvana. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://obaitori.typepad.com/obaitori/2010/05/wesak-content.html
Sangha Day, which is a celebration in honor of the Buddhist community.
Picture from: Buddhism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2015, from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/
Hinduism
The main Hinduism holy days include:
Diwali, the celebration of the Hindu festival of lights.
Picture from: Diwali, Festival of Lights at the Golden Temple - Vedic Odyssey. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://www.vedicodyssey.com/adventures/1110_rajasthan/rajasthan_spiritual_adventure-diwali.shtml
Navaratri the celebration of the triumph of good over evil. This celebration lasts for nine days.
Picture from: Navaratri - The famous Hindu festival. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://www.shraddhananda.com/Navaratri_The_famous_Hindu_festival.html
Krishna Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna, and his coming to the Earth.
Picture from: Drenched in the spirit of Janmashtami - The Hindu. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/drenched-in-the-spirit-of-janmashtami/article3749975.ece
Holi is spring festival of fertility and harvest. It is a celebration of renewal.
Picture from: World Religion Final Project- Holi, the annual Hindu Festival | World Religion News. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from https://worldreligionnews.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/world-religion-final-project-holi-the-annual-hindu-festival/
Other Minor Festivals include: Hanuman Jayanti the celebration of the birth of Hanuman Ji, the monkey God, Mahashivratri a festival dedicated to the god Shiva, Makar Sankranti celebrates the sun's journey into the northern hemisphere, Raksha Bandhan a festival that celebrates brotherhood and love, Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, Swaminarayan Jayanti celebrates the birthday of Lord Swaminarayan, Thaipusam celebrations faith, endurance and penance, Vaisakhi is celebrated as a harvest festival and Varsha Pratipada the Hindu Spring New Year.
Compare and Contrast
Each of these two religions has Holy Days that celebrated their Gods and New Year. Hinduism celebrates many birthdays of their Gods whereas Buddhism celebrates only the death of the Buddha. Unlike Hinduism where the celebrations are of significant people and events the Buddhist have a celebration where the celebration is in honour of them, the community. Hinduism also celebrates feelings and hardships like love, endurance, faith and penance. Buddhism has many less celebrations than Hinduism, as they don’t believe in a God/s instead in a set of guidelines.