Commemorate the Birth of Gautama Buddha

The Buddha's Birthday is an important day of celebration for Buddhists around the world. The holiday is traditionally celebrated in most of South and East Asia to commemorate the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He is the founder of Buddhism and is also known as the Gautama Buddha. The Buddha's Birthday is a holiday for both celebration and reflection for Buddhists. This immersive event will include the following:

• Storytelling: Participants will learn about Buddhism and the life of Gautama Buddha. 
• Mindful Meditation Session: Led by author Priya Kumari, participants will learn essential meditation practices.
• Food Tasting and Demo: Learn about the foods and cuisines of the Tibetan community. Enjoy a demonstration of momo making and taste them for yourself! 
• Mindful Music Session: Enjoy the classical sounds of Raga Kids.
• Arts and Crafts: Experience various activities from all over Asia, including a Mandala demonstration and lantern making! 

Join us for an interactive afternoon for the whole family!

Speakers and Performers

Priya Kumari is a passionate educator and entrepreneur. Being the daughter of a bookstore owner, she grew up with books, and her immense love for them continues to define her. She studied public accounting and worked for the Big Four audit firms. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and two sons, aged 2 and 6. As a Montessori mom, she is passionate about hands-on learning and loves teaching mathematics and Indian languages. She enjoys baking and trying different cuisines for her kids and husband.

Raga Kids combines multi-lingual songs and Indian Classical instruments to show kids the awesomeness of Raga music! Raga Kids presents original music and sing-alongs focusing on the culture of India and the US together, as well as the Indian equivalent of Do-Re-Mi and the language of the Tabla, in harmony with classics from the American kids songbook. Raga Kids has been a Brooklyn mainstay for over 7 years having performed concerts at BAMKids, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Philadelphia Please Touch Museum, Asia Society and the Brooklyn Public Library.

Partners

The Culture Tree provides South Asian-themed educational and cultural programs that enrich the lives of children and their families and promotes a deeper connection with their roots and the world around them. They partner with museums, galleries, schools, and libraries to implement classes and programming, including key festivals and events, puppet shows, bilingual storytime, mindfulness, and language classes in South Asian languages.