Buddhist Festival in Washington, D.C., Reflects Religion's Growth in the Region

May 27, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On May 27, 2001, The Washington Post reported on "an all-day Buddhist festival celebrated...by an estimated 2,000 people at the Fauquier County Buddhist temple...As Buddhists from across the region streamed into the Wat Lao Buddhavong center yesterday, organizers said the attendance was a sign that their religion is growing and has become a united community of many nations...[The] Buddhist festival was just one of three Asian religious festivals this weekend, a sign of the growing religious and ethnic diversity in the Washington area...The religious diversity reflects demographic changes in a region that saw its Asian American population grow by 66 percent from 1990 to 2000."