Buddha's Birthday in South Korea
May 24 · Level 7 · #822 of 2238
Buddha's Birthday is a South Korean public holiday honouring the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. For Buddhists, it is a time to reflect on compassion and wisdom. Its lunar-calendar date means it falls on different dates in the Gregorian calendar.
How it is celebrated: colourful lanterns decorate temples, worshippers attend services and a statue of the infant Buddha is ceremonially bathed. Lantern processions accompany the celebrations, and some temples offer visitors free meals.
Yeondeunghoe, Korea's lantern festival, is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Its processions welcome participants regardless of their religious beliefs.