Today was a national holiday in Korea, in honour of
Buddha's birthday.
Buddha, who's real name was
Siddhartha Gautama, is the founder of
Buddhism. He lived about 2500 years ago, possibly in
Nepal or north-eastern
India.
Buddhism came to Korea about 1600 years ago. Today,
approximately 22% of Koreans are Buddhists.
Buddha's birthday is celebrated on a different day every year, as
it is defined using a lunar calendar. Today, it fell on a beautiful, foggy spring day. As the sun went down, the temple near my home looked like this:
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| Lanterns lit in honour of Buddha's birthday. |
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| Lanterns lit in honour of Buddha's birthday. |
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| Lanterns lit in honour of Buddha's birthday. |
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| Lanterns lit in honour of Buddha's birthday. |
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| A stairwell lit by lanterns. |
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| The gate of a temple, illuminated with lanterns. |
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| The road to the temple, on the night of Buddha's birthday. |
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