Colorful Lanterns on Buddha’s Birthday
I went to downtown the other day to pay the bills and I was surprised to see the colorful lanterns adorning the street, from there I know Buddha’s birthday is coming soon.
Buddha’s birthday is a public holiday in Korea, it is the birthday of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama and traditionally celebrated in Mahayana Buddhism.
In Korea the birthday of Buddha is celebrated according to the Lunisolar calendar. 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”. Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of Buddha’s birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.
Source: Wikipedia