Seoul Lantern Festival 2012

I went to the Seoul Lantern Festival last year, but my camera was out of commission at the time.  Ironically, it was only at the very end of my walk along the stream of the Cheonggyecheon this year that I fiddled with my settings enough to find the sweet spot.  (Keep an eye out for the fishes at the end.  That's the look I was glad to finally get.)

The Seoul Lantern Festival is held ever year in November.  The official entrance is at the start of the Cheonggyecheon near Gwanghwamun station, but you can bypass the long (though fast-moving) lines by taking the steps down to the stream further along the trail of lights.

Welcome to the lantern festival!

Here we go!

Girls in traditional clothing, the hanbok

A lantern depicting a performance on a traditional Korean melodic percussion instrument (similar to the piano) from the Joseon period

Young attendees and their supervisors
Note the light up headbands the girls are wearing.  They were quite the popular accessory at this event.

Trolls, not dragons

This poor guy didn't make the cut.

Household lanterns for sale

I asked a girl if I could take a picture of her lantern.  She seemed a little weirded out, but obviously not enough to say no.

Lantern wishes on the stream
There were hundreds, and they were so beautiful.
Side note: I'd wanted this picture to be bright and clear, but it looks like a watercolor painting instead, and I think that's just as cool.  Do you think so, too?

I'm on a horse.

The cranes' wings flapped.  That was cool.

Child from North America
Representin'

Here they are!  The beautiful fish I was able to capture the best color of!

They were so magical.  I took very many pictures of these fishes.  There were so many, and they were so bright and pretty.  I wanted to take some home with me.

Pororo was there with all his friends!

And there was Spider-Man!
Batman was there, too, and I tried to take a picture of him, but it wasn't turning out at all.  Then I realized why.  He is the Dark Knight, after all.