The Ganghwa Lantern Festival, which first began during the "Gangdo (Ganghwa Capital) Era" when the capital was relocated to Ganghwa Island to resist foreign invasions during the reign of King Gojong of the Goryeo Dynasty, was spectacularly reenacted in the heart of Ganghwa Island for the first time in 781 years. The Buddhist community in Incheon and Ganghwa attracted significant public attention by hosting a large-scale celebratory event to inherit historical traditions and wish for harmony in the world.
The Incheon-Ganghwa United Propagation Corps (led by Ven. Seong-an and Ven. Yeo-am) held the "Ganghwa Lantern Festival for Buddhist Era 2570 (2026) with Local Residents" on the afternoon of the 16th at a special stage in the Ganghwa Pungmul Market in Ganghwa-eup, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. The event was a major success, drawing a crowd of approximately 2,000 people (according to organizers' estimates), including the Buddhist community and local residents from about 40 temples, including Jeondeungsa Temple. In particular, this year's festival saw a large participation of 29 temples from the Incheon area, significantly raising the scale and status of the event.
Ganghwa Island is historically known to have a deep connection with the April 8th (Lunar Calendar) Lantern Festival. According to the Goryeosa-jeolyo (Essentials of Goryeo History), on April 8th of the 32nd year of King Gojong's reign (1245), Choi Woo, the de facto ruler at the time, held a lantern event inside Ganghwa Fortress and hosted a massive banquet. It is recorded that spectators inside the capital crowded together like walls and enjoyed the festivities all night long. While lantern festivals had previously been held on the full moon of January or February, Ganghwa Island is the very birthplace where the festival settled on April 8th, as it is celebrated today. Capitalizing on this historical significance, the local Buddhist community resumed the Ganghwa Lantern Festival at the Pungmul Market area starting last year.
Visitors Flock to Mount Goryeo Cheongryeonsa’s Iced Flower Tea and Dongwonjeongsa’s Tripitaka Koreana Sutra Printing Booths
The event opened with a pre-ceremony program filled with various interactive cultural booths that delighted all five senses. Amid early summer weather with the daily high temperature nearing 30 degrees Celsius, visitors continuously flocked to the refreshing flower petal tea booth prepared by Cheongryeonsa Temple on Mount Goryeo to quench their thirst. Dongwonjeongsa Temple offered a "Sutra Printing Experience Booth" to honor the spirit of the Tripitaka Koreana, conveying the breath of history. Meanwhile, the "Buddha Face Selfie Experience" by Yonghaesa Temple and the "Lantern Making Experience" by Beopmyeongsa Temple attracted families. In particular, the "Scent Pouch Making Booth" by the Ganghwa-gun Family Center gained immense popularity among young future Buddhists.
Public interest booths for public safety and the protection of vulnerable groups also drew attention. The Buddhist Association of the Ganghwa Police Station operated a "Pre-registration Fingerprint Booth" at the festival site to protect vulnerable groups, such as children and elderly individuals with dementia, receiving an enthusiastic response from residents. Jeondeungsa Temple, which organized the event, distributed parade lanterns to all participants free of charge, encouraging active engagement in the festival.
During the subsequent celebratory Dharma service, Most Ven. Jang-yun, an elder member of the Jogye Order, delivered a Dharma message read on his behalf by Ven. Yeo-am, the abbot of Jeondeungsa Temple. He preached, "Although the world suffers daily from war, poverty, and conflict, we can maintain peace of mind and achieve world harmony if we enhance our wisdom and hold onto the cord of compassion, just as the Buddha taught. I hope we all realize that we are Buddhas possessing Buddha-nature, live a life of mutual respect, and enjoy a peaceful world where we lay down further wars, competitions, and conflicts."
In the third part of the festival, the lighting ceremony—the highlight of the event—illuminated a large tower lantern modeled after the Seokgatap Pagoda of Bulguksa Temple. The area around the tower lantern was spectacularly adorned with five-colored lotus lanterns, symbolizing the creation stories of five temples on Ganghwa Island (Cheongryeonsa, Baekryeonsa, Jeongryeonsa, Heungryeonsa, and Hwangryeonsa). At 8 PM, as the tower lantern lit up brightly, venerable monks and hundreds of Buddhists marched in a pagoda-circling procession (Tapdori) while chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha, holding the parade lanterns distributed by Jeondeungsa Temple. The lantern procession brightly lit up the night sky, praying for peace on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the world.
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