The first moon of the New Year (Lunar) is Chotrul Cuchen (Chunga Choepa) the Day celebrating Buddha’s Miracles — often celebrated with a butter lamp festival. The festival of Buddha’s fifteen miracles actually begins on Losar (New Year), this year on March 18, 2022.
For 15 consecutive days, the faithful celebrate the 15 days of miracles. It is said by teachers of Vajrayana lineage, that these are “multiplying” days — where all merits and all negative acts are magnified “millions” of times. Millions is usually translated as “many.”
The Miracles of Buddha culminate on the “Day of Miracles” — the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year — this year March 18, 202w — a very special day in Buddhism, often celebrated with events and pujas. This is the well-known Butter Lamp Festival, or Chotrul Duchen.
Butter Lamp Festival Chotrul Duchen
To commemorate the fifteenth day, known as the Day of Miracles, Tibetan Buddhists make lamps, traditionally of yak butter, called butter lamps, shaped like flowers, trees, birds, and other auspicious symbols. The truly devoted will arrange elaborate butter lamps — or candles — in their homes and in public spaces. For public events, the light displays can be as large as a small building. All the lanterns are lit in celebration on the fifteenth day of the month. For most Buddhists, it’s certainly considered auspicious to offer a light offering to Shakyamuni Buddha on this Holy Day.