Each year since the 9th century, the birth of Buddha is celebrated with a Lotus Lantern Festival. Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library invites the community to help make 100 lotus lanterns in a free, hands-on workshop led by Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project.

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco explains “The Lotus Lantern Festival, also known as Yeondeunghoe…is one of the most celebrated Buddhist ceremonies held in Korea. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (late April or early May of the Roman calendar), hundreds of thousands of candlelit paper lanterns are raised throughout the country to commemorate the Buddha’s birthday … This ceremony, which became a Korean national holiday in 1975, honors the great teachings of a young Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who lived nearly 2,500 years ago and gave up his royal life in search of a way to end suffering in the world. After years of searching, the prince found enlightenment, or perfect understanding, and became the Buddha, which means the “Enlightened One.”...The lotus flower, a symbol of purity and wisdom, holds special significance in the Buddhist tradition. The flower, whose strong roots allow it to rise from the mud and blossom with great beauty, represents the individual who overcomes greed and hatred to find enlightenment.”

In 2020, UNESCO inscribed Yeondeunghoe in the Republic of Korea on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

You are invited to make your own lotus flower lantern in this special workshop. A member of the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project will join us via Zoom to guide us through making a lotus flower lantern using colored paper and a wire frame. This free program is for all ages, and families are encouraged to attend together. Keep your lantern to enjoy at home, or give it back to BHML to create lantern displays around town.

The workshop is Friday, Feb. 25, 2-3:30 p.m. (in-person or Zoom) or 7-8:30 p.m. (Zoom only); 2 p.m. program participants have the option of attending the workshop in person at partner locations at the Boothbay Region Land Trust at Oak Point Farm, Boothbay Region YMCA.

This program has a maximum of 100 participants over both sessions. Registration is required. Visit https://bbhlibrary.org/lotus-lantern-workshop/ for more information and to register.

About the presenter: KSCPP (Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project) is a not-for-profit, non-government organization dedicated to the promotion of greater awareness and understanding of Korean history and culture. Its headquarters are in Seoul, Korea, with branches in New York, Los Angeles (USA), Kaufering (Germany) and London (UK).

Special thanks to our program sponsor: First National Bank Wealth Management.