Lantern Festival to Celebrate Buddha's Birthday

By Kim Tae-jong, Staff Reporter, The Korea Times, April 17, 2006

Followers of Buddhism join in a parade with large lanterns that resemble Buddha as part of the Lotus Lantern Festival street event in this file photo taken last year.

The Lotus Lantern Festival, an annual event, will be held across the nation from Tuesday through May 5 to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on May 5 this year according to the lunar calendar.

The event begins with a lantern lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. tonight at the Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall with the attendance of Rev. Ji Kwan, president of the Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism, and Lee Myung-bak, mayor of Seoul, along with some 3,000 Seoul citizens and Buddhists.

As the ceremony will officially signal the start to festivities, a range of other events will follow throughout the festival period such as a lantern exhibition, traditional performances, street parades and concerts.

A lantern exhibition taking place from April 28 to May 5 in Pongunsa Temple, southern Seoul, features a variety of lanterns, all in brilliant and luminous hues.

The lantern parade called Yondung Nori will start at 7 p.m. on April 29 and marches in front of Chogyesa Temple.

But a bigger street event is also scheduled the following day from noon to 8 p.m. titled the Buddhist Street Festival.

Approximately 100 booths and specialty stages will be lined in neat rows along the streets stretching from Chonggak Station (subway line No.1) and Anguk Station (subway line No.3). Visitors can enjoy various showcases of crafts, games, art exhibits, musical performances and dance demonstrations.

Also featured on the streets will be contributions by the Buddhists from Indonesia, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, lndia, Mongolia and other countries. There, visitors will have the opportunity to see how Buddhism is practiced in other countries of the world.

From 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., visitors can also join a big parade, which heads to Tongdaemun Stadium (Tongdaemun Stadium Station, subway line number two and four) in which people carry the lit lanterns flanked by cheering crowds.

And for those who are interested in learning how to create lanterns, special programs are also available including classes for non-Koreans.

Titled "Lotus Lantern Making Festival for Foreigners," this event invites 200 people and offers them a chance to learn how to make lanterns in front of Chogyesa Temple on April 30 at 2 p.m.

Those who are interested in the event can apply through the pre-registration by phone or e-mail. All the participants will receive a Buddhist souvenir and the top prizewinners will receive special presents.

For more information, call the Celebration Committee for Buddha’s Birthday at (02) 2011-1747 or visit the festival’s official Web site at www.llf.or.kr.

source: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200604/kt2006041717375611700.htm