Last night I went to (I think it was) Seong-Gwang temple with Lime and a friend of hers who was celebrating her birthday. Amusingly enough, the friend—a staunch Catholic—was born on the day on which Korea officially celebrates the birth of the Buddha. That’s the day when people go to temples and write their hopes or prayers onto notes, and attach them to fire lanterns which are hung in the courtyard of the temple.
The courtyard was lovely, and I was so happy to have been able to come along, though beforehand I’d been feeling a little leery from tiredness. But I didn’t feel sick at all there, and was just astounded at how lovely it was. I was mildly amused to be walking around a Buddhist temple with a couple of Catholics and even a local parish priest, though! Of all the people to take me to a Buddhist temple! It was cool.
So I’ve updated my photoblog, and you can click on the pic above to see more pics from spring in Jeonju, my recent trip to Gumi, and photos from the trip out to the temple. It’s a modest update, but more will come soon. (Hopefully before I leave for Canada in just a little over a month.)
UPDATE: On a completely unrelated note, here’s some amusing video I shot on my trip to Gumi. This was danced with Britney Spears as accompaniment. Go here to see the full story.
Buddha’s birthday is my favorite Korean holiday.
Contradictory, but true.
How’s it contradictory?
I had Christian friends in Korea who had never visited a Buddhist temple. I, on the other hand, never tired of visiting them.
Really, though, the roots of my love for the holiday stem from my first one. In that one year, Buddha’s birthday was the best day of the whole year. It was a great day spent with great people, and it included great food and unforgettable scenery.
Well, this was just an evening, but it was nice, too. Which temple did you go to that first time?
I don’t know the names of the temples (there were two: one in the afternoon, and one in the evening). I’ve lost touch with the one friend who might be able to tell me.
But if I remember correctly, they were both outside of Seoul, and I haven’t been to them since.