The annual festival commemorating Buddha’s Birthday, a national holiday in Korea, will be held in Jongno and at the temple Jogyesa in central Seoul on May 3-5.
The Lotus Lantern Festival, or Yeon Deung Hoe in Korean, unofficially kicked off with the lighting of lanterns on April 17 at Gwanghwamun Plaza, which saw lighting of a special lantern modeled after the national treasure Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda.
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(Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee) |
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(Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee) |
Designated Korea’s Intangible Cultural Property of Korea No. 122, the festival dates back 1,200 years to the Silla Dynasty (57 BC-935), which was the peak of Buddhism on the Korean Peninsula.
For this year’s event, the lantern parade along the streets of Jongno will take place from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on May 4, going from major eastern gate Dongdaemun to Jogyesa. On May 5, traditional cultural events will take place at the street in front of the temple from noon to 7 p.m.
Cultural performances will also take place on May 5 from noon to 6 p.m.
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(Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee) |
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(Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee) |
The streets of central Seoul near the Jogyesa and Bongeunsa temples and Cheonggye Stream will be lit with traditional lanterns from May 3 to May 12, and the Eoulim Madang, or Buddhist cheer rally, will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. May 4 at Dongguk University Stadium.
Visitors can attend the events by taking Subway Line No. 1 to Jonggak Station and walking south to the Cheonggye Stream, Subway Line No. 3 to Anguk Station and walking to Jogyesa, or Subway Line No. 9 to Bongeunsa Station to get to Bongeunsa.
For more information, visit www.LLF.or.kr/eng.
By Yoon Min-sik (
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
