No one could possibly feel alone. I flew solo at Seoul's Lotus Lantern Festival parade this weekend, but there were no strangers in the tens of thousands of people who marched to illuminate Jong-ro in South Korea's capital.
It's Christmas in Asia. Seoul, an ancient city of stark contrasts, celebrates Buddha's birthday (May 21) this week. Buddhists from around Asia congregated for the long-standing tradition. Monks from every corner of the city took turns pouring holy water over the baby Buddha, a ceremony I found almost as interesting as these friendly folks I met at the pre-parade pep-rally.
Seoul's vibrant mash-up of tradition and modernity has slayed me, but seeing the strength of a futile practice was disheartening. As ornate and stunningly beautiful as the festival was, my front-row view of the procession of souls past Dongdaemun's ancient gate was far more interesting.
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