Buddha's Spring Dragons

Here is the segment of this morning's Writer's Almanac* that inspired my earring choice:

And it is Buddha's Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri in Japan. The story goes that when the Buddha was born, dragons flew down from heaven and poured fragrant water over the land, like a sweet rain, and all the flowers on land and water bloomed simultaneously. So on this day, statues of a young Buddha are decorated with flowers and carried to temples in procession, and children in Japan take turns pouring sweet tea over the Buddha's head. It is a day of gratitude.

"How great is that?" I thought this morning at 6:15. So I chose these dragons in honor of Buddha's birthday.

This afternoon, I mentioned my dragons to a Buddhist friend who said, "I don't know that myth. And Buddha was born on the 5th full moon of the year." She proceeded to tell me a long Nepali tale about Buddha's mother and a dream about an elephant, lotus flowers, cesarian section, snakes that are depicted as dragons, and spring.

I just read that Buddha's birthday is April 8 or May 8 in China and Japan. Whew.

The cherry tree and the daffodils in my yard are definitely looking like sweet rain has fallen from the heavens, causing them to bloom simultaneously.

My dragons seemed to enjoy their frolic among the flowers. The beads shone blue in the sunlight!


*The Writer's Almanac provides daily inspiration. A poem, literary biographies, and fascinating snippets of information about topics that inspire writers. Check it out at http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
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