Ksitigarbha's Birthday · Dizang

Culture of origin: Buddhist · Cultural

Holiday sources: Buddhism

Ksitigarbha, Dizang in Chinese, is a bodhisattva revered above all in East Asian Buddhism and usually shown as a monk, known for his vow not to attain Buddhahood until the hells are empty. Chinese tradition holds that he chose Mount Jiuhua, one of the Four Sacred Mountains of China, as his seat of enlightenment; the mountain's link with him comes from Kim Gyo-gak, a prince of Silla who became a monk there under the name Dizang. His birthday is the thirtieth of the seventh month, and believers pray at his temples for the blessings of their ancestors and the souls of the dead.