Birthday of Buddha in South Korea (Birthday of Buddha)

Buddha's birthday is a Buddhist holiday It is celebrated in April or May This date is floating because it is calculated according to the lunar calendar (on the eighth day of the fourth month) In South Korea, Buddha's birthday is an official holiday Siddhartha Gautama was born in what is now Nepal in 563 BC His father was a rajah (according to other sources, he belonged to the military aristocracy) The mother died immediately after giving birth Gautama grew up as a bright child and began to think and reflect on life early At the age of sixteen he married the princess, and a few years later they had a son One day the prince got out of the palace and saw something that shocked him: a beggar, a sick person, a corpse, a hermit Gautama realized that wealth and nobility are not protection from disease and death, you need to know yourself in order to fight them The prince left his family and left home For six years he wandered, searching for the truth, exhausting himself Then I realized that I had to look for another way of knowledge At the age of 35, after 49 days of meditation, Gautama formulated the “Four Noble Truths”: - suffering accompanies a person’s entire life, - their cause is the constant satisfaction of one’s own desires, - suffering can be overcome by moving away from it, - harmony is the middle between asceticism and pleasure This is how Buddhism, a religion and a philosophical doctrine of self-improvement, appeared Buddha is the one who awakened and realized the meaning of life Buddha's birthday is a favorite holiday for Koreans They prepare for the celebration in advance The whole week before the holiday is filled with performances by artists, various performances and concerts Believing Koreans go to temples, donate to charity, and pray There is a belief that Buddha hears everyone who turns to him these days The churches host lunches for the poor The main event of the holiday is a procession with lotus-shaped lanterns The lotus represents spirituality, and the lantern represents the light of truth The parade takes place in the evening Anyone can join it The culmination of the holiday is the launching of lanterns into the sky Since 1975, this day has been a day off so that all residents and guests of the country can enjoy the atmosphere of a wonderful and kind holiday