The annual Lotus Lantern Parade will take place over the weekend in central Seoul around Jogyesa, the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, ahead of Buddha’s Birthday.
The Saturday-Sunday parades will start in Heunginjimun, commonly known as Dondaemun, near Dongdaemun Station on Subway Line No. 4, moving west to Jonggak Station on Subway Line No. 1 and Jogyesa to the north.
The Ven. Jinwoo, the Jogye president, will lead the procession, which will carry some 100,000 lanterns of colored paper and silk. Jinwoo will be joined by children, who will be the face of the procession this year, celebrating both Buddha’s Birthday and Children’s Day, which both fall on May 5 this year.
The parade through central Seoul has been a fixture of the country for centuries, with the Jogye Order leading it for over half a century. Buddhists unite behind the annual event promoting Buddha’s spirit of generosity, first among the qualities associated with him.
“Buddhism is all about finding bits of that spirit every day and acting on what we learn from it. That’s the first step to comfort, peace and harmony,” Ven. Jinwoo said, adding Jogye is committed to helping more people realize them.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
