2014 Seoul Lantern Parade

The 2014 Seoul Lantern Parade, a huge procession of lanterns made from hanji (Korean traditional paper) and lights. Thousands upon thousands of participants in groups wearing matching traditional or modern-traditional hanbok were in the marching ranks. Held or propelled by participants were thousands upon many more thousands of lanterns, some massive while others small, were in the long two hour and a half procession from Dongdaemun Station to the Chogyesa, the largest Buddhist temple in Seoul. All in celebration of Buddha's upcoming birthday, solar calendar this year—May 6—the 8th day of the 4th month in the lunar calendar).

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

And to grasp the amount of preparation and the vast number of hanji paper lanterns involved, here is a glimpse at just a small portion of the loooong procession: