Buddha's Birthday

This weekend is a huge event for some in terms of it being Siddhārtha Gautama's birthday on Saturday. Even as early as last weekend there were parades along the streets in Jeju-si, creating a traffic nightmare for those trying to get in and out of the city.



There were people of all ages participating in the parade, with many monks both young and old leading the ensemble. The little children dressed up as traditional buddhist characters were especially cute; too bad they had to suffer through the chilling winds.



There were many lit up floats and lanterns being moved along the streets. Otherwise it would have just been too dark to see anything.



A lady along the outside of the parade beckoned me, and as I came to her call, she handed me a paper flower. It was a nice gesture, particularly because there was a candy lollipop attached to the bottom; bonus!

For anyone looking to experience the festivities first hand, I recommend dropping by a buddhist temple, more specifically 약천사 (Yakchunsa) temple in Jungmun.