This month marks the preparations for Buddha's Birthday (May 21st). Similarly to Christmas, the decorations have been up around the city well in advance, along with multiple festivals and things to see and do.
Just about every Westerner around Seoul decided to attend the Buddhist Festival and Lotus Lantern Parade held in Insadong, Seoul this past Sunday. The last time I saw so many white faces and heard that many people speaking English was last year before my departure.
The festival was amazing, with many interesting kiosks to attend. There was meditation techniques, exercises, food tastings, and arts and crafts from around the globe.
I made the pottery and box. During the lantern parade I was given the lantern by someone in the parade. (The swastika is a asian symbol used in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism that Hitler stole and adopted for the Nazi's)
Many countries were involved, including Cambodia, Thailand, China, and we even saw white American, South African, and Dutch Buddhists!
The highlights of the festival were the arts and crafts. We got to make some pottery, and a paper box that came out beautifully. (see above)
Between the tents we came across some traditional dancing, sand artwork, and musicians - to name a few
At the nearby temple, there were lanterns everywhere. It was beautiful!
After the festival, we got front row seats for the Lotus Lantern Parade.
Here are some of my favorite photo's followed by a video I made.
Here is a video of the festival and parade: It's about 8 min long - sorry!
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