South Korea - 5

Today is a national holiday in South Korea. It is the celebration of the birthday of Buddha and according to the Lunisolar calendar. This day is called 석가탄신일 (Seokga tansinil), meaning "Buddha's birthday" or 부처님 오신 날 (Bucheonim osin nal) meaning "the day when the Buddha came". Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of Buddha's birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.(source: Wikipedia)

I found a picture from today's Korean Herald to share with you, "bathing baby Buddha":

Everyday I realize how little I know about the country. Finding opportunities to meet people when living in a hotel is a job itself. My flexibility as a human being is being tested :0))

It was a surprise to find out, that the country is very much christianized. It is quite different from, for instance Bali in Indonesia, where you can find temples or shrines in almost every street and street corner. Fortunately I have taken some objects with me, so I could make my own, private little shrine.