The giant Buddha statue at Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam
Springtime in Korea is a treat for the eyes. After months of cold, grey winter, it suddenly becomes warm again, and then boom - there is color everywhere! Cherry trees explode with blossoms, then release their petals to the wind, where they fall onto the streets like pink snow. The pedestrian trails that wind through town and along the rivers erupt in a profusion of colors as the azaleas and forsythia come into bloom. And the Buddhist temples, which remain hidden in our midst for most of the year, put up their lanterns in honor of Buddha's birthday, and become enveloped in bright balls of color.
Lanterns line the streets in April, leading the faithful and the curious to the local temples. (my friend calls these "Buddha balls")
Every temple, from the humblest hermitage to the wealthiest tourist-site temples, puts up a canopy of lanterns in preparation for the big day. I love the shadows in this picture; they remind me of the children's book Put Me in the Zoo.
Of course, the thing about lanterns is that they light up at night!
The term "lantern" is also used to describe huge, beautiful works of art like this.
Here's a lantern designed to look like the kind of stone pagoda that is often found at Buddhist temples in Korea.
These white lanterns are memorial lanterns that people dedicate to departed loved ones.
I love the sound of the wind in the lanterns, and the temple bell that hangs from the eaves.
I love this tradition. The woman on the right is washing the baby Buddha with a ladle full of scented, blessed water. People line up to perform this ceremony. I especially enjoy seeing parents lift their children up so that they can pour the water on the Buddha statue. The look on the faces of the moms and dads is so priceless, the joy of passing on a beloved tradition to the the next generation.
As the big day approaches, floats are assembled at temples around the city. This is our favorite. He's a mechanized dragon that moves his legs, roars, and breathes real fire! We saw him in action in the lotus lantern parade last year, and were pleasantly surprised to find that he resides at a temple in our town.
While we were walking around Bongeunsa temple last weekend, we were fortunate enough to be invited in to watch a group of women practicing their fan dance routine in preparation for the parade this weekend.
The culmination of the month-long build up to the big birthday party is the lotus lantern parade that takes place in downtown Seoul. It is without question the coolest thing that happens in Korea. Unfortunately we will be out of town when it happens this year, but we'll be sure to see it next year.
