I was listening to NPR this morning as I awoke, and happened to catch Garrison Keillor speak the following:
It is Buddha’s Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri in Japan. The story goes that when the Buddha was born, dragons flew down from heaven and poured fragrant water over the land, like a sweet rain, and all the flowers on land and water bloomed simultaneously. So on this day, statues of a young Buddha are decorated with flowers and carried to temples in procession, and children in Japan take turns pouring sweet tea over the Buddha’s head. It is a day of gratitude.