The birthday of Buddha (the founder of Buddhism) or in Korean μκ°νμ μΌ, is a major public holiday in South Korea which falls on the 8th day of the forth month in Lunar Calendar each year. For this year of 2021, the celebration will be on 19th of May.
According to The Culture Trip, millions of South Koreans will celebrate this holiday with many special events that were actually customs practiced through many decades. Temples will be decorated with colorful lanterns and decorations, while having special blessing events and giving out complementary vegetarian meals. A visit to the Buddhist temples is a must as part of the agenda during the holiday.
Jogyesa Temple – The Perfect Place to Experience Buddha’s Birthday in Seoul
Jogyesa (or known as Jogye Temple) is the chief temple of Jogye Order of the Korean Buddhism. The Jogye Temple is among the oldest Buddhist temples in Korea which was built since year 1395. It is located in Insadong, Seoul which makes it the perfect tourist spot for many foreign visitors.
The Buddha’s Birthday celebration is organized grandly every year by the Jogye Temple with different festivals celebrating the teaching of Buddha. The highlight of the three-day-long festival is the Lotus Lantern Parade, with thousands of participants holding the lantern, walking and lighting up the center of the Seoul city!
The day before the Buddha’s birthday, visitors can participate in the ‘Buddha Bathing’ ritual (gwanbul). This is a symbolic ritual based on the story in which the nine dragons bathed the baby Buddha with fragrant water as he was born. It also brings meaning to wash off our impurities and negativity in our mind.
During the week, different colors of lanterns, hanging wishes from the people form a ‘sky view’ above the heads in the Jogye Temple. These paper made lanterns bring blessings to the people and hope their wishes written on the paper of the lantern can come true!
MyDaehan π 