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Mirage Hyosung

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Unhyeongung Palace, Seoul

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A large calligraphy brush hangs in front of a shop in Insadong-gil, Seoul, Korea.

Photo of the Week

Man at annual Confucian ceremony at Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul.

Lotus Lantern Festival

Girl at Lotus Lantern Festival dressed in traditional hanbok.

About 50% of Koreans are Buddhist, but on this day, the birthday of the Buddha, it felt as though the whole world followed the Eight-fold path along the route of the Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul. Beginning at Jogyesa Temple around noon, devotees and a relatively small number of tourists gathered in the temple grounds to begin a series of rituals, in traditional finery, meant to mark the day.

Two young girls play around in traditional Korean hanbok.

The atmosphere was lively and festival-goers were genuinely encouraged by the Jogyesa Monks to take part in the ceremonies. There was a decidedly Buddhist essence about the day that, despite the chilly temperature and constant drizzle that threatened to put a damper on things, warmed the soul and kept visitors snapping photos for hours on end.

Woman in traditional costume leads the band and dancers at Jogyesa Temple.

  But if one were to arrive at Jogyesa with the expectation of flowing saffron robes and the elaborate Buddhist rites of Tibet, Nepal or Thailand, they might be disappointed – or rather taken with a very different and charming reality in its own right. Korean Buddhism seems more sedate, to the neophyte, which I admit to being, but has a warmth all its own. In fact, I count Jogyesa as one of my favorite temples in the world and whenever I am in the neighborhood, I stop by to see the sights, feel the vibes and smell the sweet scent of the constantly burning incense.

Burning devotional candles at Jogyesa.

Those parade participants who gathered at the temple for the pre-procession celebrations were not in Buddhist garb at all. In fact they were in traditional Korean hanbok or other costumes that one often sees at various Korean festivals. This fit right in with what one would expect at Jogyesa. The atmosphere being informal and lighthearted, all that is fun and right with the world is embraced and celebrated. This includes traditional Korean customs, as well as the revelry of the Western onlookers who were cajoled into the dance circle as the band played traditional Korean tunes and whipped around the courtyard. For about 30 minutes there was a vortex of color, dance and merriment until the participants were flung out by the centrifugal force that sent them to attend to the purpose of the day – the parade.

Women proceed from Jogyesa Temple to the route of the Lotus Lantern Festival.

From my perch atop a subway ventilation grate, it appeared to me that the Lotus Lantern Festival Parade began at 19:30 at Jongno – 3ga Station and proceeded toward Jongak. The parade included all manner of colored lanterns, lit by candle, bulb and various incarnations of light that brought the cold, wet night to life. Spectators had their own lamps that varied in complexity and beauty. In fact, those who arrive in Seoul for just the day need not fret since free lanterns are handed out at Jogyesa so that all can participate, just like a local. Good to know for next year.

Monks in parade.

I have been to a few places in the world and have seen a festival or two, but I have to admit, although not the most elaborate, the Lotus Lantern Festival is one of the best festival/ parades I have ever seen. Perhaps it was because I had low expectations (why I don’t know). Perhaps it is because the weather was terrible, or because for the last few years I had always missed this festival, having been so close last year, I was actually at Jogyesa but did not stick around for the parade (dumb). But I think the main reason it was so great was because the people were so nice. Chalk it up to Buddha’s Birthday, chalk it up to Koreans being nice people in general – but with such genuinely good feelings in the air during a day of pretty miserable wet and cold, I had the same feeling that I have when I am at a good basketball game and most of the crowd, discouraged, leaves in the third quarter, while those of us faithful who decided to stick it out were rewarded with both a surprise victory and the newly formed and soon to be lost, temporal camaraderie of complete strangers.

Faithful onlookers with their lanterns celebrate the Buddha's Birthday.

On this day of strangers in a strange land, the celebration of the Birthday of the Buddha was enough to reward me beyond expectation and to make me begin planning for next year’s Lotus Lantern Festival so I don’t miss this great event again.

 

 

 

 

Photo of Last Month

Cherry Blossoms bring Namsan alive in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Seoul Black and White

Changgyeonggung Palace complex spread before Seoul Tower.

Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven

Changing of the Guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung.

Korea has had a traumatic history. Over the centuries it has suffered greatly at the hands of its neighbors, especially, as every Korean and Korean monument will remind you, at the hands of the Japanese. What Koreans will not as readily admit to, is that for much of its history, the Korean people suffered greatly at the hands of their own government – as is still the case in North Korea. But as the South continues to get comfortable with its now strong and dynamic democracy, an extraordinary effort is underway to reclaim their culture and traditional treasures.

 One of the many urns in one of the restored buildings on the palace grounds

Japan is noted for mixing its reverence for the past with an insatiable reliance on the most modern technology. The cliché of the Blade Runner world that is a mélange of Kabuki, Manga-esque characters and ultra high technology comes to mind when one roams the streets of Shibuya, bathed in the ubiquitous neon light, passing young girls in Kimono in search of the freshest sushi. And although Tokyo was devastated during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the US Air Force firebombing in 1945, Tokyo still feels less war-torn than does much of Seoul.

 Qing Dynasty (China) influenced design of Jibokjae, a building on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung

Seoul was completely devastated during the Korean War (1950 – 1953) having changed hands between the forces of the North Koreans with their Chinese allies, and the allied forces of the United Nations, several times. This left Seoul ground in to the very soil, chewed up by tank treads, artillery shells, and the bombs that ravaged this small expanse of land for the better part of three years. Moreover, during the Japanese occupation, which began during the Sino – Japanese War of 1894-95, becoming more formal with Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1905 in the wake of the Russo – Japanese War - an occupation ended with the American victory over Japan in WWII - Japan conducted a deliberate campaign to eradicate Korean culture. This included the removal of the Korean royal family, the banning of the Korean language in favor of Japanese, the ascendancy of the Japanese bureaucracy, and the destruction of Korean palaces and public buildings.

 Spring flowers behind a small gate within the palace grounds

There is an extensive move afoot to restore Korean cultural treasures to their formal glory, and in the process make Seoul a more interesting destination for visitors. Gyeongbokgung palace in central Seoul is emblematic of this effort as it rises from the ashes of its historical challenges. The use of “palace” in the last sentence is actually redundant since Gyeongbokgung means (Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven). Built in 1395 at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in front of the powerful edifice of Mount Bugaksan, the palace was once an architectural wonder, which at its most glorious rivaled Beijing’s Forbidden City. Its 300-plus buildings once stood as the epicenter of Korean culture and power until they were completely destroyed by the Japanese during the invasion of Korea in 1592. Completely rebuilt by Prince Regent Heungseon Daewongun in 1867, Gyeongbokgung was again destroyed by the Japanese in 1915 during the annexation of Korea, leaving less than 10% of the structures standing.

 One of the traditionally-dressed guards who perform ceremonies in front of Gyeongbokgung

Today, many of the structures have been rebuilt as part of a program culminating in 2020 to restore much of the splendor that this palace once evoked. Nestled in a part of Seoul that contains much natural beauty, time here, after being in the bustle of Seoul’s urban sprawl, is time well spent. In the Springtime, flowers in bloom of various types accessorize Gyeongbokgung like the elaborate Hanbok used to adorn the Korean royalty that once walked these grounds. In autumn, maples seem to catch fire and glow on the surrounding buildings evoking the danger of the past in their benign resemblance to the destructive force that once reduced rather than enhanced Gyeongbokgung. Every time I return here I see a new addition to the great project that continues to make this erstwhile luckless treasure emerge from its weeping, earthly realm to once again claim the mantle of a Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven.

 

Admission : 3,000 won adults, 1,500 won children

Hours of Operation 09:00~17:00, 18:00, Closed Tuesdays

Gyeongbokgung Station, Subway Line 3, Exit 5

Buddha in the Air

Seoul prepares to celebrate Buddha's Birthday (May 2nd this year) with the mounting of paper lanterns and the practicing of traditional dances, at Jogyesa Temple. Hopefully there will be more to report from the Lotus Lantern Festival on 26 April. Gaijinphoto magazine will have correspondents on the scene.