1995
Sunday, 14 May 1995
In 1995 the tithi runs from 5:49 am on 14 May to 2:18 am on 15 May, and it never reaches sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi), so the day on which it begins is taken: Sunday, 14 May 1995.
1996
Friday, 3 May 1996
In 1996 the tithi runs from 6:56 pm on 2 May to 5:18 pm on 3 May; it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on Friday, 3 May 1996, so that is the day of Buddha Purnima.
How the date is fixed
Buddha Purnima falls on the full-moon day (Purnima) of the lunar month Vaishakha. The date is the day on which that tithi is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi).
About
Buddha Purnima is the full moon of Vaishakha, in late April or May. Tradition places the Buddha's birth at Lumbini, his awakening at Bodh Gaya and his parinirvana at Kushinagar all on this tithi. The tithi at sunrise fixes the day in India; Theravada countries use their own calendars and the dates can differ by a day or a month. It is a gazetted holiday and the main day of pilgrimage at Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.
How it is observed
Offerings at viharas, readings of the suttas and the release of caged birds in some regions.