The most brilliant and impressive traditional festival, Lotus Lantern Festival celebrating Buddha’s Birthday(B.E. 2550) is scheduled to open through 28th ~ 30th April around Jogyesa temple and Jongno street. (www.LLF.or.kr)

This year Lotus Lantern Festival starts from the Traditional Lantern Exhibition which is to open from 28th April ~ 5th May in Bongeunsa temple(around Coex).  After enjoying the Eve Celebration(little parade and performances) around Insa-dong and in front of Jogyesa temple from 7:00 pm on 29th April(sat), you will be expecting the main day of Lotus Lantern Festival on 30th April(sun).

Speaking of Buddhist Street Festival which starts from 12:00 until 7:00 pm on 30th April(sun) in front of Jogyesa temple around Jonggak subway station, more than 100 booths and stages of traditional and buddhist art will be set up in the street. Specially this year you can find 20 monks carving wooden sutras or patterns reminding their tradition of achieving 80,000 Tripitaka in Koryo dynasty. Many programs are oriented to children and family cause this year’s Buddha’s Birthday falls on Children’s day(5.5). Performances include Yongsanjae(Monks celebration dance), Seon(zen) art, modern buddhist dances, Seon(zen) music performance by foreign buddhists group, Korean folk musics, Children’s see-saw, traditional folk play in the street. At International Buddhism Stage, you will find Sri Lankan, Nepali, Cambodian, Tibetan, Taiwan, Thailand’s buddhist traditions and Monks celebrating Buddha’s birthday. If you don’t want to miss Lantern Making Festival for foreigners, you should be hurry to call to I.D.I.A. of 722-2206 or e-mail to ipogyo@buddhism.or.kr. Buddhist Street Festival will be consisted by many enjoyable and meaningful programs full of buddhist spirit including buddha painting, printing, lantern making, temple foods, welfare bazaar and various exciting open programs.

 

The focus of Lotus Lantern Festival is undoubtedly ’Lantern Parade’ consisted of 100,000 lanterns and huge floatings symbolizing Buddhist icons including white elephant, guardians, dragon(flame throws from the mouth), pea-cock, Cute Boy and Girl, smiling Buddha and etc. The parade filling Jongno street like a river of lanterns starts from Dongdaemun stadium at 7:00 and arrives at Jogyesa temple 7:30 until 10:00 in the evening of 30th April. Celebration committee plans to distribute small lanterns to the people around observation seats(Tapgol park). The final parade group and young buddhists will participate the cheerful closing ceremony with Lotus Lantern music concert to be held in the cross road around Jonggak station. from 9:30 thru 11:00. At the closing ceremony, you can join the hand-in-hand mass dance(Kang Kang Suwolae) with showers of petal rain.

For more information of lantern making festival for foreigners, please contact with I.D.I.A.(tel 722-2206, e-mail to ipogyo@buddhism.or.kr) and for general information, please contact with Celebration Committee for Buddha’s Birthday (tel 2011-1747, e-mail to hong@buddhism.or.kr,    website: www.LLF.or.kr/eng/)