Turning Thirty: Celebrating Three Decades of the Shin Buddhist Fellowship UK. Reflecting on the Lantern Festival 

Thirty Years of Weekly Gatherings 

In February 2026, the Shin Buddhist Fellowship UK reached a significant milestone, marking thirty years of regular weekly meetings. The very first gathering took place in the evening during the Lantern Festival of 1996. 

Lantern Festival is celebrated fifteen days after Chinese New Year, and it coincides with the first full moon of the lunar calendar.

The Lunar Calendar and Lantern Festival 

The date of the lunar new moon always falls somewhen between 21 January and 20 February, which means the Lantern Festival takes place between 4 February and 6 March. In 1996, the first new moon was on 1 February, and fourteen days later, the full moon heralded the Lantern Festival. This special night is particularly notable for drawing attention to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, who occupies a central role in the festival and is widely venerated for her compassionate nature. 

Lantern Festival Celebrations at SBFUK 

The Shin Buddhist Fellowship UK continues to mark the Lantern Festival through a range of commemorative activities. Some years feature modest gatherings with only a handful of attendees, while other occasions more elaborate events have taken place. Many of these celebrations are documented on the Pure Land Notes Weblog, with titles referencing either 'Lantern Festival' or 'Kuan Yin'. 

Some are less obvious and tucked away in the 'My Music' section of the PLN Weblog. One of the more eclectic entries is ‘Namandabu Didgeridoo’—a live recording made on Chinese New Year, 10 February 2020, consisting of an uninterrupted hour of NAMANDABU chanting accompanied by a didgeridoo and seven singing bowls. I leave it to you to decide whether listening to it is a is a mesmerising or monotonous experience! 

Finally, one of my favourite hidden gems is a live recording made at a Lantern Festival event held in 1999. This is a suite of six instrumental guitar pieces, collected under the title ‘SameAsThisSameAsThat (The Interconnectedness of Things)’. The bracketed subtitle fittingly encapsulates the spirit of the festival.

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