Vesak is the holiest day in the Buddhist calendar as it celebrates the birth of Buddha, about 2,550 years ago. It is held the first full moon in May. The word Buddha literally means “who is awake “, denotes a person who has attained the wisdom of enlightenment, a state in which the individual attains Nirvana and transcend suffering.
Vesak is celebrated in all Asian countries with strong Buddhist presence. During the celebration, people go to temples and made many offerings. The streets are decorated with bright colors and they also clean and decorate their homes for the preparation of this moment of joy.
One of the most impressive celebrations is held in Seoul, the South Korean capital, as well as traditional rituals, the whole city is lit by colored lanterns to get the parade of floats and dragons. During the night, there are processions in which people carry lanterns in the shape of lotus flowers, they hear the words of the monks who recite verses uttered by Buddha 25 centuries ago, and they invoke peace and happiness for the government and population, who made efforts to bring happiness to those less fortunate like sick or elderly persons distributing gifts and money to those who need it most.
This festival is one of the most beautiful in the world, not only for its extraordinary beauty and decor, but because it brings out the best feelings of a large proportion of the population. If you want to live this overwhelming experience for yourself, you can stay at one of the many hotels in Seoul and soak up the country’s Buddhist culture, in which more than a third of the population belongs to this religion.
Tags: asia, celebration, festival, home, korea, p4523, seoul, southkorea
