The country's largest Buddhist sect will resume the full-scale lantern parade as a part of an annual lantern lighting festival marking Buddha's birthday, following a two-year suspension and scaledown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jogye Order announced on Thursday that the parade on April 30 will depart from Heunginjimun at 7 p.m. From the gate, the parade will progress through the Jogye Temple to Jonggak in central Seoul.

The upcoming parade will be the first of its kind since the festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2020. Organizers said the parade will be held under strict social distancing regulations.

There will also be a lighting ceremony for a sculpture lantern in the shape of the three-story stone pagoda at Hwaeomsa, the famed temple of Gurye, in front of Seoul City Hall at 7:00 p.m. on May 5.

Buddha's Birthday, which falls on April 8 according to the lunar calendar, will be celebrated on May 8 this year.