Prince festival

CCTV.COM (06.13 2003 17:09)

    On the eighth of the second month of the Lunar calendar, the local Bai people are celebrating their Prince Festival. And who's this Prince, it 's Shakyamuni.

    Thousands of people are expected to attend the festival. It's not only the Bai people celebrating the anniversary. Members of other ethnic groups around the region all come to dust off their dancing shoes.

    It's believed that on this date, the eighth day of the second lunar month, Shakyamuni left his kingdom and eventually became a Buddha. It represents the founding Buddhism. Each morning on this day, every year, people come together in the Jianchuan county center to pay their respects to the prince who's yet to renounce all his worldly/secular possessions. In the end, he gives up a family and a kingdom, for an austere life in search of enlightenment.

    At this point, Shakyamuni still appears as a prince. Well, more like a Chinese prince. The worshipers have a vegetarian meal and pay tribute to the Buddha-to-be. In a small hall, a ceremony is given in his name. All the strange percussion instruments used in the ceremony are a like a small ensemble without conductor.

    Following the simple ceremony is a grand parade and everybody is invited.

    People are going to carry him around the four gates of the city, symbolizing his giving up his kingdom, far away in India. As the Buddha come across each family, people would come out and bid farewell to it.

    The path of the prince Shakyamuni is marked out by firecrackers and the celebration will continue all day and well into the night.

Editor:Han Ling