Buddha's Birthday Samgwangsa Temple Lotus Lantern Festival

Those who know a little about Buddhism will already know about Buddha's birthday. It is a legal anniversary in Korea established to commemorate the birth of Shakyamuni. As one of Korea's legal holidays, it is said to be on April 8 of the lunar calendar.

Samgwangsa Temple, which carries on the tradition and culture of Silla’s Kandeung, Goryeo Yeondeunghoe, Joseon Hogi and Gwandeung games, hosts the largest lotus lantern festival in Korea. Countless tens of thousands of lanterns adorned the foot of Mt. Baekyang. It is a wonderful festival that illuminates the darkness of the whole world with the wisdom of Buddha.

In 2012, CNN, an American news broadcasting channel, said that the Samgwangsa Lotus Lantern Festival was selected as one of the '50 most beautiful places in Korea'. When I went there on May 27th, I really understood why it was selected. The more I climbed the stairs with the lotus lantern tunnel, the more I felt that I was getting out of reality and into a fantasy world. And the countless lights pouring down on my head were enough to dazzle me, and when I climbed to the top of the temple grounds, the lotus lanterns of Samgwangsa Temple were really beautiful. It felt like my heart was brightened, and it was so nice to be able to properly feel the beauty of light. I went with a friend, and I remember seeing the three of us saying, “I can see why it was selected by CNN.”

It's really pretty and beautiful, but the car is so clogged. I was so blocked that I wanted to cry, but I felt like I was trapped inside the bus. There were so many people who brought their own cars, so the cars really got pushed back. We left around 7:00, but the bus originally took about 50 minutes, but it took more than 2 hours to arrive around 9:30. There were too many people, so I was distracted, but it was so nice to be able to see the forest path upstairs peacefully. It was so beautiful that I forgot how hard I had come. If you haven't been to Samgwangsa Temple Lotus Lantern Festival, where you can feel peace while feeling the power of nature outside the city, go see it next year ^^

The details of the event are detailed below.

Details of the Samgwangsa Lotus Lantern Festival

event content

Bongchuk lighting ceremony / Bongchuk eve lighting ceremony / Bongchuk ceremony, etc.

Detail

Address: 77, Choeupcheon-ro 43beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan

Phone number: 051-808-7111

Website: http://www.samkwangsa.or.kr/

Festival period: 2023. 5. 7 (Sun) ~ 5.27 (Sat)

Charges: Free

Operation day and time: 2023. 5. 7 (Sun) ~ 5.27 (Sat)

traffic information

Exit 9 of Seomyeon Station on Busan Metro Line 2 and stop opposite Yeonggwang Bookstore → Transfer to Village Bus Busanjin-gu 15 → Get off at Samgwangsa Temple Precincts Get off Bus 44, 54, 63, 81, or 133 at Samgwangsa Temple Parking Lot at Samgwangsa Temple (free)