Once again, I headed out to 조계사 (Jogyesa) this year to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. In Korean, this day is called 석가탄신일 (Seokga Tansinil), meaning “Buddha’s birthday” or 부처님 오신 날 (Bucheonim Osin Nal) meaning “the day when the Buddha came.” In China and Korea, it is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar. The … Continue reading
Buddha’s birthday or 석가탄신일 fell on May 17th this year. For the entire month of May, Buddhist temples are decorated in beautiful colorful paper lanterns. You can actually find lanterns lined along many streets in Korea in celebration of this day as part of the Lotus Lantern Festival. Because this is considered a national holiday, government … Continue reading
