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On May 21, members of the Jogye Temple youth group rehearse their performance for the coming Buddha’s Birthday celebration. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh) Caption 7-2: People walk through the colorfully decorated Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21.

On Sunday, six days before Buddha’s Birthday, Jogye Temple in Seoul’s Jongno District, the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, was full of festive spirits in preparation to welcome the Buddha.

People walk through the colorfully decorated Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

In the courtyard in front of the temple’s Main Buddha Hall, Buddhists attended a dharma session and made offerings, while the Jogye Temple youth group practiced their performances for the afternoon’s lantern lighting ceremony.

On Sunday, the Ujeongguk Road in front of Jogye Temple was closed to traffic to allow for various traditional culture performances to be held. The performances attracted not only Buddhists, but also denizens out enjoying the weekend, enabling them to stop for a while and experience Buddhist culture.

Buddhists participating in a dharma session bow to the Buddha at Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21, days ahead of Buddha’s Birthday. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

The Buddhist legend of Maya Devi giving birth to the Buddha in Lumbini is reenacted outside Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

A ritual of washing the baby Buddha is carried out outside Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

A ritual of washing the baby Buddha is carried out outside Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

Vietnamese monks pour water on a statue of Buddha in a ceremony outside the Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

People fill the street outside Jogye Temple in Seoul on May 21 during an event ahead of Buddha’s Birthday. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

By Kim Jung-hyo, senior staff writer

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