Buddha's Birthday and Flickering Lights Galore

Yesterday evening a group of us went up to the Buddhist temple on the hill overlooking Shinchon to check out the lantern festival. It was a warmy, balmy evening, and the festivities were in full swing when we arrived. Each one of the thousands of lanterns cost around 50,000 won as a donation to the temple. Buying a lantern and having it suspended on the wire above the temple complex should supposedly bring good fortune to the generous souls who donated them. The sea of flickering lights was very impressive to witness.