(Describer) Title: All About the Holidays. Each letter in 'holidays' has a different colorful pattern. Pages of a calendar turn.

(male narrator) The first full moon in May is Vesak, also known as Buddha Purnima, or Buddha Day. It is an important Buddhist festival honoring Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as Lord Buddha.

(Describer) He’s shown sitting under a tree.

Siddhartha was born around 563 BCE in Nepal. He lived in a palace, sheltered from the sad and evil parts of life, like hardship, disease, and death.

(Describer) In an animation, he walks.

At age 29, Siddhartha journeyed to learn about the nature of life. He wanted to understand human suffering and how to relieve it. He tried many spiritual practices, even living as a beggar. He realized that everything, including one's thoughts, is constantly changing, like a flower that blooms, dies, and returns again. This and many other realizations came to him while meditating under a fig tree, called the Bodhi tree. One that day, at age 35, Siddhartha experienced nirvana and became a Buddha, which means "awakened one." For the remainder of his life, Buddha shared his insights with others. These teachings, or dharma, formed the basis of Buddhism and are still taught today.

(Describer) He’s depicted in statues.

During Vesak, many Buddhists go to a temple to chant, pray, and meditate. Water is poured over statues of the Buddha to symbolize a clean start. Candles and lamps are lit, and lighted paper lanterns are released into the sky.

(Describer) Title:

Can you describe a moment when you felt connected to something greater than yourself?

(Describer) Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www dot ed dot gov.