If you like lanterns, Buddhism, or parades, you’re in luck – with Buddha’s birthday just around the corner, the Lotus Lantern Festival was the perfect tourist destination to take in the Buddhist tradition.
The party started Sunday afternoon near Insa-dong and Jongno in downtown Seoul. This event has a reputation for introducing people to Buddhism, and it’s a great way to learn more about templestays and so on.
A very long line (not pictured) for some sort of tea. Sorry, but I didn’t feel like waiting in line…
A chance to experience a tea ceremony – typically comprised of using each one of your senses to enjoy the tea.
A chance to make a ‘book’ of sorts. From the way the process looked, it involved folding some pre-printed pieces of paper and binding them with twine of some kind. An interesting souvenir, if you could read Korean.
Before long, my friend Jo and I found the temple – Jogyesa to be specific. Last year I came to see Jogyesa during Buddha’s birthday celebration and got to enjoy the sights and sounds.
A woman bathing a baby Buddha.
The scene just outside the main building. The crowd is gathered to listen to a Buddhist guitarist – and more than likely the paper lantern ceiling.
Inside the souvenir store – er, supply store for all your needs. The foreground is bags of rice to present to the Buddha in one way or another. Not pictured were 40kg bags of rice – not sure if these were meant to be offered to Buddha as well, but they were definitely for sale.
That’s me getting fancy with the camera again. Some beautiful flowers in the foreground, along with a pagoda said to hold the remains of a sarina of Shakyamuni’s (a sacred relic of the Buddha, similiar to a relic you might find at a Catholic church)
Ooh, pretty white lanterns… Many of these paper lanterns held a laminated paper with one’s name and birth year on it. For 30,000 won, you could write these things on a paper, have them laminated inside the office, then have them hung up…
…by a gentleman on a scissors lift.
I was going for the Buddhas with the reflection of the paper lanterns. What do you think?
A Korean gentleman paints onto a lotus flower painting – I would’ve tried my hand, but I would’ve had no idea what I was doing!
Without any further ado, I present the highlight of the day thus far – making our Very Own Paper Lantern:
A chance to create a paper lantern of your own. Receive a paper cup with about 50 small pieces of accordian-like paper of tissue-paper thickness (each one about half the size of an 3×5 index card), then carefully compress one end of the paper and gently twist the ends. Once that’s done, turn them upside down and glue them to the aforementioned paper cup – five to a layer, alternating at least in theory. Here was the result:
Hey, look, it’s me with my paper lantern! I ended up giving mine to somewhere else later on, though.
Before long we found ourselves watching a talent show at the Lotus Lantern Festival. We had no idea – ‘Bodies’ by Drowning Pool, anyone? For those unfamiliar with the song, it’s a death metal song with more than enough piercing electric guitars and screaming in place of singing.
A rather shy-looking Korean girl fronts this particular band – with only one or two songs each there wasn’t a lot of time to impress the judges.
These B-girls did a great job however…
…as did these!
Some great b-boy action, including one guy that seemed to stand on his head for an insanely long time.
Aww, how cute, a singer in a cat mask… No idea what it did for the judges, but these guys weren’t exactly the best.
Remember that this a lantern festival after all… These lanterns were installed just outside exit 2 of Jonggak station.
Quite a few of these beauties were lined up near the Jonggak subway station, where the parade would eventually make a right turn towards Jogyesa.
After being pushed back for standing space, one kind Korean policemen suggested we find seats across the street, supposedly set up just for foreigners. We went, found seats, and waited for the show to start.
In what would become a theme of the night – elaborately-dressed people carrying lanterns of one sort or another were the most common of sights.
Buddhist monks lifted ‘bowls’…
…while ordinary-looking people lifted lanterns as well.
It was rather hard to get pictures of the lit-up vehicles / larger displays. This one, of a fish, likely symbolizes one of the musical instruments used to wake up the animals of the earth.
No idea what this float meant to represent, but the blue rings rotated around the central character.
Here there be dragons! Need I say more?
Buddha driving a car? Only if it’s a Prius….
Exhibit B of Koreans in hanbok carrying lanterns in parade formation.
An eight-story pagoda – quite nice with Buddha on all levels.
A Korean in a hoop dress? That’s rare.
Wings.
An elephant.
Fish lanterns – where do they store these things when not in use?
A lotus flower itself.
Some light-up lanterns of sorts – sure, why not?
A peacock. The tail was great – and kept the car behind it at a distance.
What was I saying about dragons?
One float I simply didn’t get: a pig on a motorcycle holding a BAZOOKA? Huh?!
More women. More lanterns – but it’s still beautiful.
Some action shots of some great dancers / drummers.
The longest float of the night – it didn’t fit into one picture no matter how far back I got.
Exhibit D of women in hanbok and holding lanterns. Since they were all from different temples (as evidenced by the signs before each party), I guess it was fair game.
An absolutely wonderful experience, shared with us mere mortals only once a year.
The Lotus Lantern Festival is held around Buddha’s Birthday every year.
