Seoul Lantern Parade 2012

 An annual event to celebrate the birthday of Buddha. Something not to be missed if you happen to be in Seoul. Well, for us who live right here...it is also something not to be missed. Of course, we could easily sit on the couch and turn on TV since it was also aired live.

But I'm sure it would feel the same like being right in and seeing the parade with our own eyes while at the same time being exposed to the sights and sounds and even the smell (in a good sense, though) of the parade. 

Lots of colorful costumes, dances, music, floats, and people (both Korean and of foreign nationalities) were all crammed into the 5-km long parade. What a night, eh?

 

 
Of course, it would not have been complete without the dragon floats or lantern. See that? it was so long that I got to take the picture twice.
Just find the tail of the dragon right on the picture below^^
 

I could not help but keep on taking picture after picture until my hands got numb. The only thing that kept us glued to stand and look out our heads just to sneak and peek into somebody else's elbows, heads, and shoulders was...the fact that the lights emitted from the floats were just beautiful.

See what I meant? 

Lotus Lantern Festival @ Bongeun-sa Temple, Seoul

It is May and the festivity season at the onset (no.....wait...it's at the dawn)  of Summer festivities is yet to begin. But, with so much (avid readers, beware: not many, but I dare to say 'much') things to do, we just could not wait to start digging ourselves into the pit of what Korea or Seoul precisely has to offer. First, I want to highlight the much-talked about festival, i.e. no other than the Buddha's Birthday-related festivals held throughout May across the whole peninsula--I mean, at least in the southern part (which I am positively referring to South Korea^^). 

See the dazzlingly lighted lanterns adorned over the sky? well, this is pretty much what we could see and enjoy until today (as of writing this entry)--May, 28, 2012, at most temples nationwide. We went to this famous temple called Bongeun-sa in Sanseong station, which was just across the street from the famous COEX mall in Gagnam area of Seoul.

Went there with my family and a whole bunch of friends who happened to have the same gits and wits for something like this. Well, festival chasers like me...or festivity goers like me would not have surely missed the once-a-year traditional cultural event like this one. (We did see the Lantern Parade, too--which you may read and see in my other entries). 

It was such a rewarding experience to see and directly feel and breathe underneath the red lanterns adorning the sky that night. How could we possibly forget the simple fact that it was just actually a lotus-like lantern dotted and decorated the hall in front of the temple, but ....yet...we felt like something was there--which was the spirit of celebrating what the Buddhist believe to be one of their sacred days. 

Now, this was -- I think--another shot angle I took while we were facing the rear gate of the temple. See the   sky-rise buildings at the background? this simply shows how the temple itself is intact and closely mingled within the vicinity of modern Seoul urban area. 

Lots of animals and plants-shaped --some were unimaginable--lanterns, most were big in sizes---available for anyone to enjoyably see. 

These ones below were the shots I took when we were walking up the temple. Yes, the temple sat on a not-that-high hills that made it possible for us to see the high-rises surrounding it. A positive advantage to give a preview of where it is situated: a serene sanctuary in the middle of a bustling city like Seoul. 

Food Bank Concert

Food Bank concert? yes..I think this was what I bumped into when I was walking down in front of the Seoul City Hall. The whole city square in front of the City Hall was barely packed with people that day. But, it seemed that a station TV was airing its Live. 

Since I was just passing by and got no time to look, I might as well take some pictures to take a moment or two. wish I'd known more about it.

Then, so as to make the moment more eventful than just momentarily uneventful, I took a glimpse look at how green the square was at that time. Look beyond! A pagoda-like sculpture was already built to celebrate the coming celebration of Buddha's birthday this May 28. 

Back to the festival of Food Bank--that I knew nothing of--, I took one last click of the view to make sure that I'd definitely go grab some more info on this stuff later on.