Seoul to turn off street lights during Buddhist lantern festival

Street lights along Jongno in central Seoul will temporarily go out Saturday night during the procession of lanterns for Yeondeunghoe, the lotus lantern festival, held in advance of Buddha’s Birthday later this month.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Jongno Ward will turn off street lights from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. along the section of road stretching from Dongdaemun (East Gate) to Boshingak to allow the citizens to better see the lanterns, a Buddhist committee for the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday said Wednesday. The holiday falls on May 28 this year.

Yeondeung, or lotus lantern, symbolizes the bright light that Buddha’s deeds shone on a dark world filled with suffering. In the past, when Yeondeunghoe began, all outdoor lanterns of the royal palace were lit, and wine and food was served to the royal families and subjects as they enjoyed music, dancing and plays. During the event, they prayed for peace and prosperity for the nation and the royal family.

Yeondeunghoe, a national festival of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), was designated as an important intangible cultural heritage last month. The custom of lighting lotus lanterns goes a long way back in Korean history, with the oldest records of the practice dating from the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935). The lotus blossom represents purity and Buddha, and so it has been depicted in many paintings, decorations and sculptures over the years.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Yeondeunghoe was designated as an important intangible heritage because it is not a fossilized legacy of the past, but its essence has been handed down from one generation to the next.

South Korea is seeking to have Yeondeunghoe designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a UNESCO world intangible heritage. (Yonhap News)