April 12, 2018
Reported by IBC Student Club, Secretary, Au Kar Wei
IBC Student Club has celebrated New Year (Songkran) Eve 2018. This New Year eve is celebrated by many South and South East Asian countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia etc at the same time of the year. The activity started at 11.10 am with the offering of lunch dana to all IBC members. Lunch was full of different traditional food cooked by the many students such as Peyaji (পিঁয়াজু ), Spicy Mashed Potatoes (আলু ভর্তা /Aloo Bhorta), very spicy Chakma’s food from Bangladesh, Pelof from India, Jack fruit curry from Sri Lanka, Pae Pyoke from Myanmar, Papaya Salad from Laos, Thai Green curry noodle (Khanom Jeen) and Kuagling from Thailand etc.
The activity started with watching a video clip done by Au Kar Wei on a review of the activities organized by IBC Student Club for the academic year of 2017/2018. The program followed with a talk by IBC Student Club President Venerable Aggadhamma. Later teachers and students from fourteen countries as representatives were invited for the cake cutting ceremony and they are from Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, British, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Korea and Bhutan.
Next, Professor Tilak was invited to sing a Sri Lankan song and the song was nice and lovely. It made the audience very happy. The students were invited to share their thoughts and feelings as well. The final session of the program was to pay respect to the Buddha, by bathing the Buddha statue, or it means by pouring the fragrant water over the Buddha statue. During the ceremony, IBC members also poured fragrant water onto the Venerables, teachers and other elders’ palms as a gesture of humility and to ask for their blessings. All monks and nuns from the three traditions, the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana and senior professors and teachers were invited to give the blessings and transfer merits for the world peace.
Indeed, this was a very meaningful program not only for the celebration of New Year of different countries but also a solemn moment for those who joined the blessing ceremony as a symbol of IBC family re-unions, shared their traditional food, cultural activities, memories, respect and love.
This event ended at 12.30 pm with a lot of laughter and happiness.
