Lotus Lantern Festival (Yeondeunghoe) on May 4th, 2019 - Part 1

Introduction

Yeon-Deung-Hoe, Lotus Lantern Festival, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and Korea's National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

http://www.llf.or.kr/eng/

연등회(YeonDeungHoe)

 

 

Yeondeunghoe (Korean: 연등회; 燃燈會; Korean pronunciation) is a lantern-lighting festival in Korea celebrating the Buddha's Birthday.  The date of the celebration is marked on the Korean Lunar calendar as the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. The English translation of the name of the festival is written as Yeondeunghoe, Yeon Deung Hoe, or Yeondeung Hoe. Likewise, the exact English translation of the words, “Yeon” “Deung” “Hoe” is varied with suggested meanings such as, “Lotus Lantern Festival” and “lighting a lantern.”

"The lanterns represent light, hope, and unity".


Origins

With a 1,200-year history,[5] records reference the event at Hwangnyongsa Temple, located in Gyeongju, in 866 during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. – 935 A.D.). In Silla, the lantern festivals were a combination of Buddhist lantern offerings and ancestral rites to the dragon god to protect farmers and the nation.

The beginning of the festival is marked with the ritual bathing in the water of a sculpture of the Buddha as a baby. A ritual ladle is used to spoon water over the head and shoulders of the image of Buddha.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeondeunghoe

Yeondeunghoe - Wikipedia

 

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This year's annual lantern festival will be held from April 24th to May 15th, 2024, with traditional lantern exhibitions at Gwanghwamun, Jogyesa Temple, and Bongunsa Temple.

The largest lantern procession will take place on May 11th, 2024 at 19:00 from Heunginjimun to Jonggak.

All photos here were taken on May 4, 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading the article.

- Camera : Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
- Lens : Canon EF 24-70L / f2.8
             Canon EF 70-200L IS / f2.8