UNESCO has given an award to a festival in South Korea. It decided to add South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The festival is one of 25 things the UN added to its heritage list this year. Some things that UNESCO adds to its heritage list are tangible - meaning we can touch them. Examples are the Pyramids in Egypt or Machu Picchu in Peru. If something is intangible, we cannot touch it. Events like South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival or a dance or a method for weaving baskets are examples of intangible heritage.
The South Korean festival is held in spring to celebrate Buddha's birthday. It symbolizes lighting up the world to make things fair for everyone. The festival dates back 2,000 years. There was an ancient temple in 57BC that royals visited to see lotus lanterns. Today, it is one of Korea's biggest festivals. People decorate temples with lanterns made of paper and bamboo. Villages, towns and cities hold parades where people carry lanterns through the streets. A spokesperson said: "We will try to make the festival a cultural heritage that can be loved by people around the world."