South Korean Buddhist monks circling the pagoda during a lighting ceremony to celebrate the upcoming Buddha's birthday at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul. Buddha's Birthday is a Buddhist festival celebrated mostly in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and much of East Asia, marking the birth of Siddhartha Gothama, the prince who became the Gothama Buddha and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist traditions and archaeologists, the Gothama Buddha was born around 563-483 B.C. in Lumbini, Nepal. In Korea, Buddha's birthday is celebrated according to the Korean lunar calendar and is a national holiday. (Photo by Kim Jae-Hwan / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)