Bodhi Tree Watering festival

A cover from Myanmar 🇲🇲 with a stamp from the Myanmar calendar series 

Mason  Bodhi Tree Watering Festival 

Date of Issue : 4- May - 2019

The month Kason usually falls during the May of English calendar. During the month of Kason the length of the day is longer and the night is shorter. People of Myanmar regard the month of Kason as Taurus season. The seasonal flower is Champaca and this festival is water pouring ceremony at the maha-Bodhi tree,the holy Banyan tree at the foot of which the Buddha attained Buddhahood or enlightenment. 

As the month of kason is at the middle of the hot reason. the earth is dry and people pour water at the Maha-Bodhi tree to make sure it does not die of drought during the hot summer. This has become an integral part of Myanmar culture and on every full-moon day of kason. the Buddhist people would march in a grand procession to the Bodhi tree or to the pagodas to pour scented water.

First day cover

The full-moon day of kason is significant for other seasons too. It is the day on which Gotama Buddha was born. attained enlightenment and passed away. It also is the day on which the original Bodhi tree arose from out of the earth as an assurance of the coming of the Gotoma Buddha. 

The Bodhi tree has relations with lord Buddha so it becomes respectable for the Buddhists. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment underneath the Bodhi tree so the Buddhists revere the tree. On the Fullmoon day of Kason Buddhist devotees celebrate not only water pouring ceremony at the Bodhi tree but also perform meritorious deeds by keeping Sabbath , meditation, offering flowers, light, water and incense to the images of lord Buddha.

Thanks MG Sein for this beautiful cover with also the first day postmark !!