On 1 November 2026, the 22nd day of the ninth Tibetan month, Buddhists mark Lhabab Düchen, "the festival of the descent from the gods". It is one of the four great festival days of the Tibetan Buddhist year.
The story
The Buddha's mother, Queen Maya, died a week after his birth and was reborn in the heaven of the Thirty-Three gods. After his enlightenment, the Buddha went up to that heaven and spent a rainy season teaching her. Lhabab Düchen remembers the day he came back down to earth, traditionally on a great staircase, at Sankasya in northern India, where a crowd was waiting for him.
How the day is marked
Many Buddhists spend Lhabab Düchen in prayer, making offerings and doing acts of generosity, and monasteries hold special ceremonies. Some people light butter lamps or visit stupas; others simply set aside time for meditation.
In thangka painting
The descent from the heaven of the Thirty-Three is one of the main events of the Buddha's life, and it often appears in Buddha Life Story thangkas: look for the Buddha on a staircase coming down through the clouds, with gods on either side. Our guide to Shakyamuni Buddha thangkas explains how the Buddha is shown.
