Apr. 30, 2020
Every spring, millions of people across South Korea come together to celebrate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The entire country is illuminated with colorful lanterns that symbolically convey the wisdom and compassion of the sage, while temples hold cultural performances and spectacular parades.
"Seokga Tansinil", meaning "Buddha’s Birthday" in Korean or "Bucheonim osin nal" (the day when the Buddha came) has been widely observed in many Asian nations for centuries. Due to differences in historical records, different countries celebrate the holiday on different days, but in South Korea, it falls on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar.
This year, because of COVID-19 the prayer service in all temples across South Korea are for overcoming the pandemic.