What is the shrine seen only during Hanamatsuri Buddha Day service?
This is the Hanamido, a small pavilion decorated with flowers representing Lumbini Garden where Siddhartha Gautama was born. The pavilion houses the image of baby Siddhartha, which stands in a basin of sweet tea. Observants pour sweet tea over the image. The Hanamido sits upon the back of a representation of a white elephant in accordance with the myth of the birth of the Buddha. It is also said that when he was born, sweet tea rained from the sky. (Source: Cocktails by Rev.
