I read on Wikipedia that in Korea, Buddha's birthday is celebrated according to the Chinese calendar (I think it's celebrated on different days in different countries across Asia). The day is called 'Bucheonim osin nal' which means "the day when Buddha arrived". To celebrate, there are beautiful lanterns placed all along the streets and even more beautiful lanterns hung all over temples. Some temples even provide tea and meals for visitors.
Last weekend Trev and I went to visit Nick (Trev's friend from home) and his girlfriend Sara, in Changwan. We hung out there Friday night and then took a bus to Busan Saturday morning. Busan is at the southern end of Korea and is the second biggest city. While we were there, we went to Beomosa Temple, which is by far one of the most beautiful temples I've seen in Korea this far. It was at the top of a mountain, which we hiked up the whole way (approx. 4km) and had amazing views and beautifully structured and decorated temples. When we were there we saw people dressed in Hanbok (Traditional Korean clothing) practicing for, what I can only assume, today, Buddha's Birthday ceremony. There were big beautiful lanterns hung all over the temple too.
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