Thousands of Buddhist devotees and festival-goers flocked to downtown Seoul for the Lotus Lantern Festival. Some participants wore traditional Korean Hanbok and held colorful lotus lanterns of various shapes.
The festival began as a celebration of Buddhist origin but has grown into an annual cultural event that attracts a large number of participants and spectators every year.
The Buddhist festival has a history of more than 1,200 years and has been listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and as a national intangible cultural heritage of South Korea. The festival aims to promote the teachings of the founder of Buddhism to the world. More than 300,000 people, including Koreans and international tourists, participated in the event.
Participants gathered at the starting point of the parade and then headed to the heart of the South Korean capital. Lanterns of various sizes were displayed in the parade, all handmade by temples across the country.
The lanterns, in various shapes including Buddha statues, dragons, elephants, lotus flowers and phoenixes, lit up the night sky of Seoul. Smaller lanterns were carried by monks and believers, while larger, themed lanterns with Buddhist themes were transported by vehicles.
Jogyesa Temple in Seoul and temples across the country light up colorful lanterns, and Cheonggyecheon Stream is also hung with paper lanterns.
May 5th is Buddha’s birthday, and many Buddhists go to temples to participate in celebrations.
