Soulful, woody notes of a Sri Lankan trumpet and the booming beats of drums poured out onto Rosedale Street on May 2, as the musicians led a parade toward the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in east Fort Worth.
Women devotees followed the performers, sporting white sashes that read “Lễ Phật Đản,” or Budda’s birthday, in Vietnamese. Trucks towed floats adorned with flowers and replicas of Buddhist structures like stupas. Monks and nuns, dressed in robes in various shades of bright orange, saffron yellow and maroon, trailed quietly behind.
The procession marked the opening of the temple’s weeklong festivities for one of the most important holidays within the Buddhist faith, known as Vesak or Wesak.
Women devotees wear white sashes that read “Lễ Phật Đản,” or Budda’s birthday, during a parade in Fort Worth on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Musicians perform in a parade on East Rosedale Street in Fort Worth, welcoming the Walk for Peace monks from their journey to Sri Lanka and the opening ceremony for the Buddhist holiday known as Vesak on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
The event also welcomed the Walk for Peace monks back to Fort Worth following their eight-day journey through Sri Lanka in late April.
During the visit, the Sri Lankan government bestowed the Walk for Peace lead monk, Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, with sacred relics of the Buddha and a sapling from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree that is believed to be a descendant of the tree Siddhartha Gautama was sitting under when he attained enlightenment.
Ashan Nanayakkara and Isuri Samarakone from Allen eagerly waited for the parade to arrive at the temple.
The couple came to the east Fort Worth temple Saturday morning to show support for their bhantes, a respectful title for Buddhist monks and nuns, participating in the parade.
The celebrations also symbolized the blending of different Asian cultures: Sri Lanka and a predominantly Vietnamese community.
“It’s just amazing to see the cultures combine, respect the religion and come together,” Samarakone said.
The Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association dancers lead a parade inside the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on May 2, 2026. The event kicks off celebrations for a Buddhist holiday known as Vesak or Wesak. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
The holiday commemorates Buddha’s birthday and in some traditions, his enlightenment and death. Vesak is generally observed around the first full moon of May and the date can vary between countries.
Dragon and lion dancers greeted the parade where East Rosedale meets Amanda Avenue. Members of the dance team swirled the neon green dragon in the air before taking the lead and guiding the rest of the group to the temple gates.
A parade on East Rosedale Street heads to the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Surangi Widyaratne and her husband, Dilum Chandrasoma, traveled from Austin to Fort Worth for the occasion.
Widyaratne hasn’t met the monks — or their loyal pup Aloka — physically but rather through their shared mission to spread peace, she said. Saturday’s ceremony signified a historical moment of connecting Sri Lanka and the United States through that message, Widyaratne said.
“The inner spirit of peaceful living, harmonious living, unifying people, being kind and compassionate, I think that is so important — and I think all humans need it,” Widyaratne said.
Buddhist monks and nuns from around the world gather inside the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center to pay their respects to relics of the Buddha on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Buddhist monks and nuns from around the world gather inside the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center to pay their respects to relics of the Buddha on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Monks and nuns from around the world gathered inside the temple to pay their respects to the relics and the sapling through chanting. The ceremony was livestreamed outside of the temple for volunteers and attendees to watch.
Pannakara addressed the room and the crowd to express his gratitude to the participants of the parade and attendees.
“This is the moment with joy, happiness, and we are blessed to receive the sacred relics from the island of peace Sri Lanka,” Pannakara said.
Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center grounds are decorated for Vesak, a sacred Buddhist holiday commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
The relics come as a $150 million, 14-acre expansion of the temple is underway to increase the temple’s capacity to offer sacred teachings of the faith in Fort Worth.
The project aims to build 840 large and small stupas, Buddhist monuments typically housing sacred relics and teachers of the Buddha.
After the procession, volunteers and attendees lined up outside to greet the monks as they departed from the temple to another part of the monastery to have lunch.
Debby Norris of Saginaw greets the monks departing from the temple at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on May 2, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Debby Norris, a Walk for Peace volunteer from Saginaw, held her palms together in a prayer pose as the monks trekked past her.
Norris has been volunteering at the temple for several months after learning about the monks’ nationwide Walk for Peace to Washington, D.C., she said.
Being a volunteer has taught her more about religion and different cultures, said Norris, who is Christian.
“Christians kind of think that Buddhism is basically taboo. But I just think it’s fascinating that there is so much overlap,” Norris said.
Members of her family have asked Norris whether the experience will convert her to the Buddhist faith.
“No, I’m Christian, but I like the traditions, I like the teachings. So it makes me feel very calm,” Norris said, recalling her response to family members. “This is my happy place.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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