What happens at the temple on Buddha’s Birthday?

In May the streets of Seoul are lined with lanterns looking forward to the celebration of cho-pa-il (초파일, 初八日, Shakyamuni’s Birthday (Buddha’s Birthday) which is a public holiday and falls on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month – so sometime in May on the Gregorian calendar.

Shakyamuni’s Birthday is one of the four major Buddhist holidays. The other three are Shakyamuni’s leaving home (8th of 2nd lunar month),  Shakyamuni reaching nirvana (15th of 2nd lunar month), and Shakyamuni’s enlightenment (8th of the 12th lunar month).

Just after the cherry blossom has fluttered to the ground the lanterns go up and brighten the streets. They symbolise wisdom and enlightenment.

The Jogye sect is the largest sect of Korean Buddhism and has over 2,000 temples across Korea. Jogye Temple was built in 1910 and it’s the main temple for Korean Jogye Buddhism.

The streets around the temple are lined with shops selling all things Buddhist – grey monks robes and headwear, statues, moktak wooden percussion instruments used for chanting, pictures, candles, Buddhist music CDs, sutras in hand sewn notebooks, beads, protection charms, and bracelets. Today the Buddhist shops look busier than usual as crowds come to visit Jogye Temple on Buddha’s Birthday.

At the temple rows of chairs have been laid out and a choir are practising getting ready for the service.

The pagoda tree and lanterns give some welcome shade on the sunny day. There are lots of events leading up to Buddha’s Birthday including a day for children to learn all about being a monk – and get their hair shaved! See some very cute pictures of the monks here.

Ladies in hanbok at the entrance to the temple encourage visitors to to buy a lantern. You can write your name, date of birth, and a prayer on it and it will be hung in the temple. But praying for family health doesn’t come free – prices for the lanterns start at 30,000 won and can go up to over 100,000 won for a prime location in the temple.

From below, the lanterns just looks like a mass of different colours but apparently, from above the lanterns spell out a message in Korean: 평화로운 마음 향기로운 세상 meaning ‘Peaceful mind harmonious world‘. see more info and pictures on the jogye temple website.