In pics: Seoul celebrates ‘Lantern Festival’ after three years of covid hiatus

The lantern festival commemorating Buddha’s birthday returns to Seoul’s streets, after three years of being cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Participants walk nearly three kilometres holding lanterns, pushing huge scale lanterns, and performing and clapping during the parade, which is the centrepiece of the week-long celebration.

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Since its start in 2009, it has grown to become one of Seoul’s most well-known festivals, the festival’s theme changes every year, but one constant thing is the vast quantity of paper lanterns and LED sculptures. 

The lantern festival, according to reports is a large-scale procession event held in South Korea to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. 
 

This year’s Lantern festival aims was to light up the lamp of hope and healing in the post- epidemic age, allowing people who have been exhausted by the new crown to feel at ease and resume their regular lives.

The lighting of the lanterns symbolises the method of communication done during the war period, when lantern was utilised as military signals to prevent the Japanese from storming across the Namgang river during the Jinjuseong battle of 1952. Outside of the Jinjuseong Fortress, they were also used to communicate with family members. There are many activities to make people involve in the festival, but the attendees also have the chance to see amazing performances and parades.

Now comes the main point, what is the one thing that every great festival has in common? Food! Many street food vendors are strewn about the festival grounds, serving variety of Korean famous food such as Spicy Rice cake, Fishcake, Hurricane potatoes and many more, reported by the Snack fever.

The evening fireworks is another must-see thing at this fantastic event. The mesmerizing blaze of colour glistening against the dark night’s sky truly completes the experience to another wholesome level!