Seoul's Lotus Lantern Parade: Where To Pick A Spot?

It's Buddha's birthday soon, and thousands are expected to line up along the main Jongno street again to watch the most colorful and most popular parade in Seoul! The lotus lantern parade!

On a few occasions, I was able to watch the parade along the main Jongno street, joining the thousands who stood there for hours as the participants in their colorful costumes and lanterns paraded and fascinated everyone on one cool spring evening.

A couple of years ago, I excused myself from the tennis session that Saturday afternoon and headed down to Dongkuk University where the participants danced and cheered before the actual parade.

It was a sight to behold at the Dongkuk University grounds. It was a sea of colors. The cheerfulness of everyone and those neon and pastel colors of their intricately looking and diaphanous costumes made the atmosphere and experience special. Everyone really put an effort to impress and regale that day. 

Maybe this time, I will try and claim a spot along the main Jongno street and watch the parade from there.
But I should be early as I am sure thousands of other spectators have the same idea as mine.

The parade will start from the Dongkuk University grounds and follow the route down the Jangchung-dong area, going towards the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and will turn left at the main Jongno Street. By the time it reaches the main Jongno Street, the darkness will have fallen and the brightness and colors of the lanterns will have captured and enamoured everyone. The parade ends up at the Jogyesa Temple after it turns right at the Jonggak Tower.

But if you want to watch the Eoulim Madang, or the cheering and dance performances, at the Dongkuk University grounds before the parade, you can just take the subway and head to Dongkuk University Station (Line 3) and follow the crowds as you get out of Exit 6. You should be there at 4PM.

I remember last year, I treated myself to a bowl of yummy patpingsu at Taekgukdang bakery right next to Exit 2 of the Dongkuk University Station after the parade. Taegukdang is a very old bakery dating back to 1946, and it has been a favorite of mine. 

But since I plan to be at the crowded Jongno street this time, I wonder if I could find a patpingsu place after. If not, then maybe something from the Gwangjang Market will do.

So, if you're watching the parade next weekend, too, have fun! And make sure you have your powerbank for your smartphone! Because you will be taking a lot of photos!

These photos were from taken as the parade was just taking off from Dongkuk University.

Enjoy the lotus lantern festival and parade, everyone!

Here's the link to the official lotus lantern parade schedule. In the link, you'll find the route of the parade and you can decide which spot to watch it from.

http://www.llf.or.kr/eng/

                                              

           (My patpingsu at Taegukdang bakery 
                         after the parade.)

Photo of the Day: Blue Ladies

These ladies, who were proudly raising their placards of the Korean flag, looked all coiffed and ready to parade down the streets of Jongno for the lotus lantern parade.

What caught everyone's attention was the color of their hanbok, sky blue! Unlike the red, yellow and orange colors of the hanbok worn by other participants, theirs was relaxing to look at, just like the blue color of the spring skies.

And indeed the skies are blue, and so are these ladies' hanbok.

Photo of the Day: "Clear!"

The street, that is!

Thanks to the local traffic enforcers, the streets along the route of the annual lotus lantern parade were cleared of vehicular traffic minutes before the parade left the stadium ground of the Dongkuk University.

And on this street, just right next to the Shilla Hotel, the lotus lantern parade welcomed the first participants, and some bystanders who took a few selfies. Ha-ha-ha!  Well, doesn't an empty highway just invites selfie-lovers to have selfies right in the middle of it?

So, thanks to the traffic enforcers, this empty street (which is a rarity in Seoul, unless of course you have a parade or a festival!) is our  photo of the day!

Photo of the Day: Yellow and White Ladies

In their diaphanous white and yellow costumes, these ladies carried red flowers with long stems, which also contained a small battery-operated light that they switched on later during the lotus lantern parade.

But as they emerged from the Dongkuk University's stadium and with the spring winds caressing their costumes, these ladies looked ready to fascinate the thousands who were already waiting along the Jongno streets to watch the most colorful parade of the year. 

Photo of the Day: Tying A Loose End

If you were there waiting at the streets of the Jongno District for the annual lotus lantern parade, wasn't it just amazing to see those colorful costumes the participants were wearing while holding up their glowing lotus lanterns to light up the spring evening?

But did you ever realize that, for their costumes to look impeccable as they walked down the streets of Seoul, a lot of preparation had to be done?

So, when I was there at Dongkuk University's stadium, I saw this gentleman helping another in completing the whole look of their traditional costume for the parade. 

Speaking about tying some loose end.

Photo of the Day: Sitting Pretty

Yes, before the lotus lantern parade started, everyone was sitting pretty. Literally.

Under the spring afternoon sun, the colorful hanbok and costumes of the participants overwhelmed my eyes (and attention!). Being privileged to regale the people of Seoul and international visitors that night, everyone made sure he or she looked his and her best!

And while the ceremony was still going on, the participants with the most colorful costumes sat prettily on the grounds of the Dongkuk University stadium, awaiting their cue to start the most fascinating parade of the year.

A Colorful Weekend at The Lotus Lantern Festival!

Their costumes were just mesmerizing; so elaborate, so colorful, and must have took a long time just to put on.

If you watched the lotus lantern parade last Saturday night along the streets of the Jongno District in Seoul, you, too, must have been mesmerized. The extravagant floats glowing alongside the participants in their colorful costumes and lanterns must have let you forget the hours of standing just waiting for the parade.

But as I didn't want to go as far as the Jongno area, I again just entertained myself seeing the parade from the Dongkuk University entrance as it made its way towards the Dongdaemun area, and later, towards Jongno. 

And as my tribute to the participants who took the effort to put on a show, I will feature some photos from the parade in the next blogs.

Photo of the Week: The Couple on the Bridge

From afar, I thought it was a pre-nuptial photo shoot, but as I came closer, it was just the two of them doing the shoot.

As Tio, Ian and I were walking towards the Dongkuk University Station from the Jangjung Tennis Courts after playing for four hours, we chanced upon this couple on the bridge having fun taking photos of themselves. The girl was posing, while the guy was either taking her photo or setting the camera's timer.

From the far end of the bridge, making them the center of my perspective, I just had to take their photo; they were too cute to pass up. 

Unfortunately, it started to rain 30 minutes after. I hope the couple were able to take shelter somewhere. But thanks to them, we have our photo, not just for the day, but for the week!