Lantern Festival at One of the World’s Three Great Buddhist Monuments!!
In 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, I participated in the lantern festival at Borobudur, which was held for the first time in three years.
The Yi Peng festival in Thailand is probably the most famous lantern festival, but for me, a lantern festival with one of the world’s three great Buddhist monuments as a backdrop is something even more special.
What is Borobudur, one of the World’s Three Great Buddhist Monuments?
Borobudur is a large Buddhist monument in the Kedu Plain in Central Java, Indonesia, and a world-renowned stone monument. It is one of the world’s largest Buddhist temples and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Borobudur Temple Compounds. Along with Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, it is one of the great monuments of Southeast Asia.
What is the Lantern Festival (Festival Lampion Waisak)?
It is held every year at Borobudur on the day of Vesak (Waisak). It takes place on the full moon day in May or June of the Buddhist calendar.
The number of participants is about 10,000, and there are two sessions: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM. Tickets must be purchased in advance, so be sure to buy them beforehand.
How to Buy Tickets
Tickets will be available on various websites about a month in advance. There are two main types of tickets: one for event participation only, and one that includes transportation from the city to Borobudur.
Recommended Way to Buy Tickets
I recommend booking through either of the major ticket booking sites in Indonesia (Tiket.com, Traveloka).
For the 2022 event, tickets were available on Tiket.com as shown below:
The price is 210K (IDR) per person (about 2000 JPY).
The Day’s Schedule
1. 2:00 PM Depart from Yogyakarta city for Borobudur by car
Borobudur itself is located in the neighboring Magelang Regency. Therefore, it takes about an hour and a half from the center of Yogyakarta.
For how to get to Borobudur, please refer to the article below.
2. 3:30 PM Arrive at Borobudur
3. Enter at the ticket counter
Show the ticket page you purchased on Tiket.com to receive an admission band and a sticker to write your wish on the lantern.
4. Write your wish on the sticker and wait & explore Borobudur
You will receive a sticker to write your wish on. This kind of experience is exciting and fun. It’s also perfect for a couple’s outing.
By the way, on the day of the event, the area right in front of Borobudur is closed off, so you can only go up to the surrounding area.
5. 5:30 PM Entry to the path in front of Borobudur begins & waiting
You can enter the path in front of Borobudur, but there will be a long line at the entrance gate, and you can get a good seat in the order you line up. ※If you go too far forward, you won’t be able to get a good photo of Borobudur with the lanterns (fewer lanterns in the photo). ※If you go too far back, Borobudur will appear too small in the photo.
6. Wait while seated on the path for about an hour
From 6:00 PM for about an hour is prayer time. Candles prepared on the path are lit, Buddhist-style music is played, and sutras are chanted. This moment also creates a magical scene with the candlelight.
7. 7:15 PM Light the lanterns and release them into the sky
Bonus: Background Knowledge & Other Info
Reference: What is Vesak?
Vesak (Pali: Vesākha, Sanskrit: Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Jayanti, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment (Nibbāna), and death (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha in the Theravada, Tibeto-Burman and Navayana traditions.
The name of the observance is derived from the Pali term vesākha or Sanskrit vaiśākha, which is the name of the lunar month in the Hindu calendar falling in April–May. In Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the holiday is known by its Sanskrit name (Vaiśākha) and derived variants of it.
The exact date of Vesak varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions. In the Theravada countries, which follow the Buddhist calendar, it is celebrated on the Uposatha day of the full moon in the 5th or 6th lunar month. In China, it is celebrated on the first full moon of the 4th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The date varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar but usually falls in April or May.
Finally
How was my article? Thank you for reading to the end.
This blog features many other articles on tourist information in Yogyakarta. I hope you find them helpful.
