AP PHOTOS: Lotus Lantern Festival draws thousands in Seoul to celebrate upcoming Buddha's birthday

Holding umbrellas and pink paper lotus flowers, thousands of South Koreans joyously filled the wet streets of Seoul in an annual festival anticipating Buddha’s birthday the coming week.

Despite the rain, organizers expected a turnout of around 50,000 people for Saturday’s Yeon Deung Hoe, or Lotus Lantern Festival, whose evening parade draws huge crowds out to see the featured floats, some carried and others rolled on wheels along the downtown area of the capital, Seoul.

The festival — which began more than 1,000 years ago and was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020 — aims to spread the enlightenment of the founder of Buddhism all over the world.

Thousands of people gathered Saturday at Seoul’s Dongguk University, the parade’s starting point, to head to the Jogyesa Temple where thousands of colorful lanterns were hung at the temple’s grounds, forming the sentence: “It’s peaceful just the way it is,” which could be seen from the air.

Dressed in...