Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival)

A traditional festival season highlight (literally), the Lotus Lantern Festival is now clearly advertised in original version, as "Yeon Deung Hoe" (연등회), and that's a good thing.

This year again, part of the events will be held in Bongeunsa (Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu) to alleviate foot traffic at Jogyesa (Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu).

Yes, I like Seoul by night (here, Jogyesa in 2008)

The festival will run between May 10 and May 17 and as usual*, you can check the program on the offical website (llf.or.kr). Note in particular the following dates:
. Saturday 11th for the lantern parade between Dongdaemun and Jogyesa, along Jong-ro (19:00-21:30)
. Friday 17th for Buddha's birthday (events across the nation)


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* see previous years: "Seoul Lantern Festival" (2012), "Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival" (2011), "Lotus Lantern Festival" (2010), "King Danjong and Korea's Curse" (2009), "Festival Season(s)" (2008)

TempleStay? Check

For the best ad of the year, HomePlus / Cheil Worldwide sure made a splash with their QR code based 'virtual store' campaign in Seoul subway*, but I'll vote for this one instead:

Advertising is always somehow lying or selling what you don't have but here, the announcer is telling the truth and insisting on what it doesn't offer. TempleStay invites you to check in if you're not interested in the usual perks (bed, tv, phone, shopping, oversleep, neon sign, coffee, meat), but in a journey in search of yourself. The best loyalty program around.

If you're not aware of this successful program, Korean temples have always been welcoming but now, even families give it a try. The concept gained international momentum around the 2002 World Cup, to the point Jogye Order moved its TempleStay Info Center to brand new headquarters, right across Jogyesa (in 71 Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, +82.2.2031.2000 - check their website eng/TempleStay.com, and the video below).

Note that KNTO has been promoting "Hanok Stay" along a similarly labelled path. Another way of experiencing a more traditional side of Korea.

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* remember "HomePlus virtual stores in Seoul subway : from your smartphone to Cannes festival screens"? The concept has been extended IRL ("HomePlus subway virtual store gets "real" (from click and mortar to billboard and click)"). That video was seen over 25,000 times, see if you can do better with this one from Arirang TV (about Songgwangsa in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do) -and don't worry, the film starts after a few seconds of test pattern:

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon

Over 80,000 delicately carved woodblocks have been resting peacefully on the beautiful slopes of Gayasan for 750 years in buildings that let the air and the eyes of the visitor circulate freely.
Considered the Chinese buddhist canon, this Goryeo Tripitaka or Tripitaka Koreana) is actually a second edition : the original blocks (printing material carved 3.5 centuries before Gutenberg's Bible) were destroyed during a Mongol invasion in the early XIIIth century.
The contrast between the value of this treasure and the simplicity of its shell is striking but refreshing. The perfect reward after climbing a few steep flights of stairs under an unforgiving sun (I confess I used the bus shuttle to skip the hike from the parking lot).
Overlooking a sea of trees, the temple itself is quite welcoming and belongs to the Jogye order (HQs in Jogyesa - temple stay website : templestay.com).

Haein-sa and the Palman Daejanggyeong : haeinsa.or.kr , 80000.or.kr (check for the opening times : the Janggyeong Panjeon will be closed all year in 2010, a recess year)
10 Chiin-ri , Gaya-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

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Even from space the area looks gorgeous :


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