Buddhists believe that rituals help to bring blessings in one's life and devotional rituals can be beneficial in health, wealth, rainfall, and passing through stages in life. Also, sacred rituals such as ordination, chanting the scriptures and pilgrimages can produce merit and help to bring about important inner spiritual transformation. (Ludwig 158). The many schools and sects and traditions of Buddhism have different rituals, and there are also different explanations for the rituals. This research paper describes some of the rituals and festivals and the significance in the Buddhist life. .
Morning and evening services are part of the daily rituals. There is chanting or worship in homes, temples and monasteries. Daily rituals would include offerings of flowers, water, food, lighted candles and incense before Buddha images and Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The monks would chant together and the lay family or laity (unordained members of the Buddhist religion) offers prayer. The flowers remind them that life is temporary; the odor of the incense calls to their mind the sweet scent of moral virtue that emanates from those who are devout and the candle-flame symbolizes enlightenment. Making these offerings brings merit for the future and blessings for this life, helps toward selflessness and compassion and also reminds them of the Buddha teachings. In Theravada Buddhism, as part of daily practice, one typically prostrates before and after chanting and meditation. Buddhists would prostrate three times: once to the Buddha, once to the Dharma, and once to the sangha. Buddhists normally begin their devotion with the threefold recitation of the Three Refuges formula: "I take refuge in the buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the sangha." (Ludwig 159). The daily life of Buddhist monks and nuns is quite different from that of lay persons. Monks' and nuns' daily ritual schedules are more demanding and can last from 3:00 a.