Lunar Dharma Dates for 2024: Buddha Days, Recurring Puja Days, Annual Celebrations in Three Buddhist Traditions

Most special days in Buddhist Practices tend to align on lunar calendars. Buddha’s birthday, for example, varies on the Western calendar year-to-year. (Dates below are updated to 2024!) Losar, or Tibetan New Year, is celebrated on the Lunar calendar. The most important days of the entire year are typically the “Buddha Days” at the beginning of the year, starting on Lunar New Year and continuing for 15 days — often called the 15 Days of Miracles.

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, based on the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic, “karmic results are multiplied one hundred million times.”

Whether you take that as literal — many of us do — or symbolic of the importance of these days, it is auspicious for Buddhist practitioners to honor the special days.

Lunar Recurring Days

Here, we’ll cover the special days for 2023. They break down into categories:

• Buddha Days:
  • 15 Days of Miracles — and especially the 15th Day of the Lunar first month, which is “the Day of Miracles”
  • Lord Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment and Paranirvana: celebrated on the 15th lunar day of the 4th lunar month
  • Lord Buddha’s First Teaching: 4th day of the 6th lunar month
  • Lord Buddha’s Descent from the God Realm of Thirty Three: day 22 of lunar month 9.
• Eclipse Days: considered auspicious with “karmic results are multiplied by one hundred million on solar eclipses and by seven million on lunar” according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
• Full Moon Days: auspicious for practice and special to both Tara and Medicine Buddha (Pujas encouraged.)
• Medicine Buddha Puja Days: 8th and/or 15th of every lunar month
• New Moon Days: auspicious for practice, and also for Naga Pujas.
• Protector Puja: once a month pujas for the Dharma Protectors on the 29th of every lunar month.
• Guru Rinpoche Day: each month on the 10th day of the lunar month, corresponding with Tsog (see below.)
• Tsog (Tsok) Days: on the 10th and 25th of every lunar month, a festive offering for: “Those who have received an initiation into Highest Yoga Tantra have a commitment to perform tsog” — according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. These break down into:
  • Daka (Hero) Tsog: 10th day of the lunar month
  • Dakini (Heroine or Yogini) Tsog: 25th day of the lunar month.

For the latest actual dates for 2024, see our Dharma Calendar>>

Mahayana Special Days on Western Calendar 2024

In addition to the special “meritorious” days for practice, there are annual celebration days, such as the Buddha Days. Some days may vary with the region. For example, the celebration of Lord Buddha’s Birth, Death and Enlightenment, typically celebrate don the 15th day of the 4th lunar day may be observed (in some cases as a national holiday) on other dates in some countries.

Buddha Days Converted to Western Calendar