Buddhists in South Korea celebrate Vesak with great pomp.

 How to celebrate Vesak in Korea?

Buddhists in South Korea celebrate Vesak with great pomp.

In South Korea, Vesak, which means Buddha's birthday, is known as 'Soggaya Tanshin'.

It falls on the 8th day of the Korean lunar calendar and is designated as a public holiday.

The Lotus Lantern Festival is considered to be the most important part of Vesak, the biggest cultural festival in South Korea.

This custom started about 1,500 years ago.

Here, in almost every house, lanterns are arranged to match the number of members in the house.

In the evening, lanterns are lit and many people gather for the procession carrying lanterns.

Many temples in South Korea serve breakfast and lunch to their devotees on Vesak. The main dishes served here are jingtikku (bubble-shaped rice cakes),Hwajong (a rice cake laced with azalea flowers), ochcha (a curry made with fish, egg and onion), o-mandu (a curry made by steaming fish stuffed with meat) and minarigego (a curry made with peppers, garlic and onions) raw fish mixed with chopped parsley) etc.