Descending Day of Lord Buddha 2023, 2024 and 2025 in Bhutan
Descending Day of Lord Buddha (Lhabab Duchen) is a national public holiday in Bhutan. It occurs on the twenty-second day of the ninth month on the Buddhist calendar. Its date varies on the Gregorian Calendar, but it normally arrives sometime in November.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 Nov | Sat | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2024 | 22 Nov | Fri | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2025 | 11 Nov | Tue | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2026 | 1 Nov | Sun | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. | |||
Buddhists believe that it was on this day that Buddha made his descent back to earth, after having gone up to the “33rd Heaven” to teach the gods his wisdom. Only after an argument with one of his disciples did he finally decide to return to the earth. It is believed Buddha descended on three golden, gem-decked ladders.
The entire holiday of Lhabab Duchen actually spans across seven days, but only the first day has public holiday status.
On Descending Day of Lord Buddha, people in Bhutan will pray intensely all day long. This is considered especially important because it is thought that the karma of good or bad deeds is ten millions times greater on this particular day of the year.
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 15 Nov | Tue | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2021 | 27 Oct | Wed | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2020 | 7 Nov | Sat | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2019 | 19 Nov | Tue | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2018 | 31 Oct | Wed | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |
| 2017 | 10 Nov | Fri | Descending Day of Lord Buddha |