Upcoming Holidays: Buddha's Birthday in Korea and Thailand

Did you know that the birth of Buddha is celebrated in many countries around the world? In fact, this is the case in many of the countries our students call home: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Some of our students even get a day off for it – South Korea on May 19th and Thailand on May 26th! So while we generally don’t want to discuss religious topics with students, it’s likely some will bring it up themselves when we ask about their plans for the day off.

Let’s equip ourselves with some basic facts about Buddha’s Birthday as well as relevant vocabulary (bolded) students would be interested in learning!

Buddha’s Birthday in Thailand 🕯️

Thailand has the second largest population of Buddhists in the world and even a government office dedicated to the religion. Add to that the fact that Buddha’s birthday is also believed to be the day he attained enlightenment and passed away and you get one of the most sacred days of the year!

I saw that your country has a public holiday this week. What are your plans?
Would you say Buddha’s Birthday is the most important holiday in your country? Why? Why not?
Do people spend Buddha’s Birthday with family or friends?

During the holiday, Thai people visit temples to hear sermons, chant prayers, give donations, and participate in rituals, like walking around temples carrying lighted candles.

The blur of light at the bottom is people walking around the temple with candles.

I hear that candles are an important part of Buddha's Birthday celebrations. Can you tell me what the candles mean? Are candles used on other holidays as well?
Do people usually go to the temple near them? Or are there specific bigger temples people visit on this day?
Are there any traditional customs specific to your part of the country?

Yellow flags with a red wheel in the middle can be seen hanging throughout the country. The wheel is known as the “dharma wheel,” and it adorns not only flags but other decorations as well on this day.

A temple flying some yellow Buddhist flags alongside some national flags of Thailand

Do people put up a Buddhist flag or decorate their homes in any way?
Do towns and cities decorate their streets for the holiday?
Could you tell me why the Buddhist flag is yellow?

As with other Buddhist holidays in the country, the sale of alcohol is prohibited throughout the entire day.

Would you say Buddha’s birthday is more solemn or festive? Why?
Do people send each other greeting cards on this day?

Buddha’s Birthday in South Korea

Buddhism has had a profound impact on Korean history, even becoming the state religion on the peninsula for nearly a millennium.

However, the last census found that over half of the country’s population was not religious and just 15% identify as Buddhist.

So you won’t see all of South Korea bursting into celebration, but you can be sure that it’s still a big day for Buddhists in the country. Many visit temples on that day to pray for blessings. Lantern festivals are also held in certain parts of the country.

Lantern parade in central Seoul | © Cultural Heritage Administration, CC BY-SA 2.5

You can learn more about this holiday from this video:

I saw that your country has a public holiday this week. What are your plans?
Can you tell me about how Buddha’s Birthday is observed in Korea?
Have you ever been to a lantern festival?
Do you ever decorate your home with lanterns? Why? Why not?

👋 That’s it for now!

We hope you got an idea of what this upcoming holiday means for some of our students. Happy tutoring!