Buddha's Birthday

No longer just the home of "football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars" Australia is now a multicultural country. When I say this to friends overseas it's greeted with mild suspicion. It doesn't fit with their pigeon hole of what Oz is really like. Pigeon holes are a good way of reducing a complex world to bite-size digestible chunks. But maybe it isn't suspicion I sense from them but confusion. That could be from dropping in that quote while singing it to the tune of the old Holden TV ad. Of course then I have to explain that "football" here (Australian Rules Football) is nothing like their football(s), that meat pies aren't sweet and that Holden cars are made by a subsidiary of General Motors. I should stop singing that ditty.

Multiculturalism has brought us, among other things, wonderful food.  What took me to Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour last weekend wasn't the food but Buddha's Birthday Festival. The food did play a part in my going because I was invited by vegan friends and the food stalls at the Festival had vegan food. But there was a lot more to the festival than food stalls. By the way, the festival is free, everyone is welcome and there are two days of events of all sorts.

Nan Tien Temple organises a Buddha's birthday Festival every year. If you live in or around Sydney you've probably seen, or even visited, Nan Tien's huge temple ("the biggest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere") on the hillside just south of Wollongong.

Buddha's actual birthday is celebrated around most of Asia on the eight day of the fourth lunar month, that is on April 8th although this year's Sydney festival was held on the 12th and 13th of May.

I'm not a Buddhist but a bit of a fellow-traveller. It would be hard to disagree with Buddhism's Three Acts of Goodness:

     Do good deeds
     Speak good words
     Think good thoughts

(I'm a bit weak on the third one.)

So put it in your diary for next year and check your local listings. It's good family fun and a welcome break from eating meat pies. (Does anyone actually eat the old gravy-on-cardboard any more?)

Some lovely singing ((in Chinese) from a talented young performer.

Irish dancing might seem out of place but the Festival welcomes many cultures

Bathing the Buddha

To any of you who signed up for Selby, Emily Eyefinger and my fabulous, (free!) Newsletter: there's another issue coming very soon; just as soon as my cold lets me finish it. If you're a kid and you haven't signed up already, what are you waiting for????