2010
Thursday, 27 May 2010
In 2010 the tithi runs from 5:18 am on 27 May to 4:37 am on 28 May; it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on Thursday, 27 May 2010, so that is the day of Buddha Purnima.
2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
In 2011 the tithi runs from 7:40 pm on 16 May to 4:38 pm on 17 May; it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 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.